BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, who had criticised Vice President Hamid Ansari for not attending the main yoga day celebrations here on June 21, called on him today.                    

Madhav presented a bouquet to Ansari during their meeting at Vice President House.

Sources said the meeting was sought by Madhav.

Madhav was at the centre of controversy when he had tweeted questioning the Vice President's absence at the Yoga day celebrations at Rajpath. The tweet was subsequently withdrawn.

Asked about the controversy and the accusation he was "targeting" the Vice President, Madhav had said, "As far as the tweet is concerned, it was withdrawn and the matter is closed there and ends there."

The government had also apologised for Madhav's criticism of Ansari's absence at the Yoga event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest.

Donald Trump, stacks of money, the White House, an American flag ... and, apparently, Nazi soldiers: is this the face of the new Republican frontrunner for president of the United States?

Over 2.03 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir so far, even as the yatra remained suspended due to heavy rains today. "On the 14th day, a total of 17,515 pilgrims who stayed overnight at the holy cave paid obeisance. Till date 2,03,565 yatris had darshan of the lingam at the cave," an official spokesman said today.

There is a need to decriminalise penal provision for defamation and the "colonial law", which has been inevitably abused, needs to be re-examined rigorously, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told the Supreme Court today.

Yesteryear's Bollywood actress Sheila Ramani Cowasji today died here following a prolonged illness, family sources said.

JUST IN: The CBI has launched a probe into the mysterious deaths of five people associated with Vyapam scam.

A witness in the Mumbai terror attack case today claimed before a Pakistani anti-terrorism court that his brother, one of the accused in the case, was killed in a US drone strike in Waziristan six months before the 26/11 attack. 

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other prominent political personalities including Congress President Sonia Gandhi attended the 'Iftar' hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday evening.

The Pakistan army today claimed to have shot down an Indian "spy" drone which it alleged was being used for aerial photography near the Line of Control.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Skill India Mission today, which aims at encouraging youth to take up vocational training to up their skills and increase chances of employment.


The government plans to spend up to Rs 1500 crore and corporate industry that is expected to be a part of this mission is expecting a bigger pie in terms of orders.


The government now plans to impart skills to 40.2 crore workers by 2022 and a number of schemes including the new National Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana and the skill loan scheme will be launched.


The prime minister asserted that skill not just instills confidence but also brings a new strength in life. Its not that skill only brings money in your pocket, it instills you with a sense of confidence, brings a new strength in life,said Modi.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at an iftar function with BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain. 

Mumbai Metro services suspended between Versova and Airport Road stations. Services will resume in an hour.  Commuters walk the tracks in this picture tweeted by @namindia.


On Monday, the dispute between Reliance Infra- led Mumbai Metro One and the state is set to intensify with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying his administration will challenge the proposal to increase fares up to Rs 110 for the 11.4-km metro service, in the Supreme Court.


The FFC (Fare Fixation Committee) has recommended a tariff structure of Rs 10-110 for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro, which is an over threefold increase over the present fare of Rs 10-40.

The Supreme Court today deferred to July 21 the hearing on the issue of power of remission by the Centre and the states, which had arisen after the Tamil Nadu government had decided to remit the sentences and set free seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.


A five-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, which began hearing the matter that was referred to it on April 25 last year, was informed by the Centre that the issue would require extensive hearing for three to four days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to make a day-long visit to his Lok Sabha constituency in Varanasi tomorrow during which he will address a public rally, inaugurate a power project scheme and open a trauma centre at the Banaras Hindu University.


Preparations are afoot at the DLW Grounds in the city to host the programme of the Prime Minister, who will reach the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport at Babatpur in a special plane tomorrow afternoon.


Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who will also arrive at the airport from Lucknow tomorrow, and Governor Ram Naik will receive Modi at the airport. At the programme, Modi will launch an Integrated Power

Congress on Wednesday accused Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of taking undue adavantage from an Vyapam accused. In a press conference, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's had availed an air ticket from a Vyapam accused. Also in the light of these revelations there is no reason why Shri Dharmendra Pradhan should continue as a Minister." Read more

Just in: CBI begins probe into Vyapam scam, registers two FIRs.  The first case is regarding PMT 2010 exam against 21 candidates; second case against eight accused in the pre-PG exam 2011.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today demanded that the amended Land Acquisition Bill be withdrawn in favour of the original 2013 legislation even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to parties to end the deadlock over the Bill.


"The state government opposes any attempt to dilute, nullify or tamper with the letter and spirit of the 2013 Act in its original form," Kumar said while addressing the second meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi which was convened to discuss the land acquisition Bill.


Nitish said "substitution of the term 'private company' by term 'private entity', removal of the consent clause, exemption from social impact assessment and special provisions for safeguarding food security in the process of land acquisition and relaxation in the time limit for return of the unutilised acquired land are not in public interest."


Nitish was among 16 chief ministers who attended a meeting of the rejigged plan panel NITI Ayog's governing council, chaired by the Prime Minister.

Round-the-world Solar Impulse 2 flight suspended until 2016 after "irreversible damage" to batteries. An attempt to fly a solar-powered plane around the world without a drop of fuel has hit a big speed bump in Hawaii.


Solar Impulse 2 suffered "irreversible" battery damage due to overheating during a non-stop, five-day flight to Kalaeloa from Nagoya, Japan, mission officials have revealed.


The plane, with Swiss pilot Andr Borschberg at the controls, landed safely in Kalaeloa on July 3, completing the longest leg of the around-the-world attempt and breaking the record for the world's longest nonstop solo flight. The team's elation quickly deflated, however, after a post-flight maintenance check turned up a debilitating mechanical issue.

Suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who had lodged a complaint against SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for allegedly threatening him, was today slapped with a chargesheet by the UP government accusing him of dereliction of duty, anti-establishment approach and flouting court orders.


The officer, who has also been charged with indiscipline and indulging in anti-government activities, said he would submit his reply "on each of the 15 counts soon".


Thakur said he would move court in a day or two seeking a CBI inquiry into all developments after his wife Nutan Thakur, who is an RTI activist, lodged a complaint against mining minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati to the Lokayukta.


Thakur was suspended on July 13 by the Akhilesh Yadav government hours after he had approached the Union Home Ministry in Delhi seeking a CBI probe into the rape charges filed against him after he lodged a complaint against Mulayam for allegedly threatening him.

@MirzaSania shows @Martina around her tennis academy in her home city of Hyderabad 

Just in: FTII director issues a notice to students asking them to call off their strike. The notice says that the students may be expelled if they do not call of the strike.


Students of India's premier Film and Television Institute are on strike for the last 34 days over TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as chairman. They want the appointment cancelled.


The students have questioned Chauhans creative credentials and whether he has the requisite vision in guiding the institute that has been earlier helmed by internationally-renowned luminaries such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Karnad, U.R. Ananthamurthy, and Shyam Benegal, who have graced Indian theatre, cinema and literature.


Many view the appointment as an attempt by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to foist its right-wing agenda upon the institute.


Also read:Give me chance, says BJP man 'Yudhishthir' as FTII students step up stir

and this..

Why I support Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chief. Read

Suspended for life from taking part in any form of cricketing activity by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee, Rajasthan Royals' former co-owner Raj Kundra today said, "I have been wronged".

A two-member Gujarat high court bench today recused itself from hearing appeals in the Naroda Patiya case of the 2002 riots, with the judges saying that some of the accused tried to approach them.

Social activist Anna Hazare announced that he will go on a hunger strike from July 26 to October 2 at the Ram Lila grounds in Delhi to agitate against the slow implementation of One Rank One Pension.


Earlier in the day, Hazare met former defence officials at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district and discussed ways in which the OROP issue could be taken up with the government.


Hazare recently said the BJP-led government at the Centre had not shown as much interest towards the implementation of the OROP scheme as it has shown towards the passing of the Land Acquisition Bill, adding that the jawans retired from the Armed forces deserved to lead a dignified life.

In another push to PM Narendra Modi's initiative, Boeing Co and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd have agreed to work together on manufacturing aerospace and defence equipment including unmanned aerial vehicles, Reuters reports.


Boeing said in a statement that the two firms intend to sell into markets products that they have jointly developed.


New Delhi is trying to encourage more companies to manufacture in India and boost skilled employment, particularly in defence.


Tata Advanced Systems, which already works with Airbus Group and Lockheed Martin, is owned by conglomerate Tata Sons.

Security has been provided to Arvind Bajpai, a crucial witness in a rape case against self- styled godman Asaram Bapu, by the police four days after one of the key witness in the case was shot dead.

Majeed Memon, leading criminal lawyer and a former defence lawyer in the 1993 bomb blasts case, questioned the need for the Maharashtra government's "hurry" in executing Yakub Memon even before the outcome of the second review petition. He said that executing Yakub Memon for the Maharashtra Government is easy because he is a Muslim.


"The government of Maharashtra is interested in executing this man for political reasons, communal reasons, for extra legal considerations which God only knows but definitely suspicious on the conduct of the part of government of Maharashtra.


"It would definitely be easy because he is a Muslim that he has to be hanged early which is very sad,' Majeed told ANI.


"Are they pre-empting the issue or are they already before-hand aware of the outcome of the review petition? They should have waited till the matter is finally decided," Majeed Memon, a top NCP leader and Member of Parliament, said.


Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi criticised the state government over "leaking of Memon's execution date".

Just in: Boeing and Tata announce strategic aerospace partnership to make in India

Italian luxury sports carmaker Maserati today announced its re-entry into the Indian market with plans to launch models priced up to Rs 2.2 crore with three new dealerships in the country.


The company also has plans to launch a sports utility vehicle globally next year, including India.


Maserati had entered the country in 2011, but later stopped selling cars in the market owing to trouble with its dealer partner. Now, it plans to open three new outlets by September-end this year.


"Our re-entry into the Indian market is a commitment to our customers as there is a definite demand for exclusive luxury products, including cars, in the market," the newly appointed Maserati Head of Operations for India, Bojan Jankulovski said.


By entering India and other new markets around the world, the company is able to grow by expansion, he added. The company plans to sell four models -- Quattroporte, Ghibli, Gran Turismo and GranCabrio, all priced between Rs 1.14 crore to Rs 2.2 crore.

Indian shares rose nearly 1 percent on Wednesday, heading towards their highest close in 1-1/2 weeks on optimism that India, which imports almost a third of its crude requirements, would benefit from weak oil prices on the back of the Iran nuclear deal, reports Reuters.


Blue-chip stocks rose on hopes lower crude oil prices would help India control its twin deficits and inflation, thereby creating headroom for the central bank to ease borrowing costs further.


Oil prices dipped on Wednesday as the market prepared for a gradual increase of Iranian exports into an already oversupplied market from 2016 after six world powers and Tehran reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday.

Arvind Kejriwal on the Niti Aayog meet: Attended Niti Ayog meet. Opposed Land Acquisition amendments. Also said that centre's interference in Delhi was against coop federalism. Suggested a separate session of Niti Ayog on Centre state relations n Cooperative Federalism. 

A 94-year-old German man who worked as a bookkeeper at the Auschwitz death camp was convicted on Wednesday of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people and sentenced to four years in prison, in what could be one of the last big Holocaust trials.


Oskar Groening did not kill anyone himself while working at the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, but prosecutors argued that by sorting the bank notes from trainloads of arriving Jews he helped support the regime responsible for mass murder.


White-haired Groening, who has been on trial since April, has admitted moral guilt but said it was up to the court to decide whether he was legally guilty.He said earlier this month he could only ask God to forgive him as he was not entitled to ask this of victims of the Holocaust.


The trial went to the heart of the question of whether people who were small cogs in the Nazi machinery, but did not actively participate in the killing of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, were guilty of crimes. Until recently, the answer from the German justice system was no.


During his time at Auschwitz, Groening's job was to collect the belongings of the deportees after they arrived at the camp by train and had been put through a selection process that resulted in many being sent directly to the gas chambers. Read more

Finance minister Arun Jaitley's media briefing on the just-concluded Niti Aayog meet on the Land Bill.

Jaitley said that chief ministers of 16 states were present for the 2nd meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog chaired by the PM.

Quick takes from the finance minister's speech...


-- Most states were not able to implement the Land Acquisition Act passed by the previous govt.


-- There was a common view raised by many States that the Land Acquisition Act needs to be amended.


-- PM talked about how most states were not able to implement the Land Acquisition Act passed by previous govt.


-- There are no two views that land is necessary for development.


-- Decision to amend Land Bill 2013 taken after consensus from states. Most states are backing the Land Acquisition Bill.


-- CMs who agreed to Land Bill amendments later opposed it.  


-- Many CMs suggested that the Centre work towards evolving a consensus on the Land Acquisition Bill.


-- State development stalled due to land concerns. Many CMs stated that delay in implementing land acquisitions slowed down projects.


-- We cannot pursue consensus over Land Bill indefinitely.


-- If Centre can't manage to get consensus then states should be given flexibility to develop their own law regarding land acquisitions.


-- Those  CMs who chose to boycott the Governing Council meeting   should consider if it is in the spirit of co-operative federalism.

The Niti Aayog meeting is over. Finance minister Arun Jaitley will hold a press meet shortly. The meeting on the Land Bill was chaired by the PM with chief ministers of several states in attendance.

In a major relief to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) the Delhi High Court has said it will not restrain the party from airing ads allegedly glorifying Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.


The court took up the hearing of the plea filed by Congress leader Ajay Maken against misuse of public funds by the Delhi government to promote the AAP.


Maken had earlier approached the Supreme Court accusing the AAP government of flouting the apex court regulations on public advertisements but the apex court refused to entertain plea saying "other efficacious remedies are available with him." He then approached the High Court over the issue.


In his plea, Maken alleged that Kejriwal government is wasting public funds by spending heavily on its publicity campaign.


Maken says that the AAP ad campaign violates the Governmental Advertising (Content Regulation) Guidelines, 2014, set by the Supreme Court.


The Congress leader's counsel said that the AAP government increased the budgetary allocation for the same from Rs 23.7 crore in the year to 2014-15 to Rs 526 crore.


The apex court had on May 13 barred publication of photos of leaders in government advertisements except those of the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India while decrying "personality cult" as an anti-thesis of democracy.

Mexico's government has released a video showing fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman going into his prison cell's shower and bending down behind a short dividing wall before disappearing. While Guzman paced back and forth several times between the bathroom area and his bed before vanishing, National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said it was common behavior for prison inmates. The small hole on the shower floor that Guzman, 58, slipped into for his daring escape late Saturday is not seen in the footage.


While a surveillance camera was on a corner outside the cell and another inside pointing toward the shower, authorities said they had two blind spots to protect the inmate's privacy.


Rubido said Guzman was last seen at 8:52 pm, without indicating how long it took for prison guards to sound the alarm. Guzman's second escape from a maximum-security prison in 14 years is a huge embarrassment to President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration, which had celebrated the capture of the world's most wanted drug baron just 17 months ago.

In a fresh ceasefire violation ahead of the Prime Minister's visit in Jammu, Pakistani Rangers today resorted to mortar shelling in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district leaving a woman dead and three others injured, including a BSF jawan.


The firing also triggering an exchange of fire with BSF troops which was still going on when last reports came in. "The Pakistani Rangers opened 'sniper fire' on a BSF constable guarding a border outpost along the International Border in Kanachak sector of Akhnoor tehsil in Jammu district around 0845 hours," a senior BSF officer said.


As BSF troops tried to evacuate the injured jawan in a vehicle, they were heavily fired upon by Pakistani Rangers, he said. The BSF troops took positions and retaliated, resulting in exchange of fire.


The injured jawan Anjali Kumar has been hospitalized. Pakistani Rangers also targeted civilian border areas by resorting to small arms firing and shelling of mortar bombs in Bhalwal Bharth, Malabela, Siderwan areas and BoPs at 0910 hours, a police officer said.


Three mortar shells landed deep inside Kanachak sector along the IB, they said. A 42-year-old woman identified as Poli Devi died in the mortar shelling while 24-year-old Ramesh Kumar and 38-year-old Udha Devi suffered injuries, he said.

A NITI Aayog sub-group headed by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is "exploring" a legislation on the Right to Skill in order to create a pool of skilled manpower in the country.


"As far as legislation to provide the Right to Skill is concerned, unless and until there's consensus among states, this legislation cannot be done... I think Badal who is heading a sub-committee of the NITI Aayog will consider this as well," Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.


The committee has been tasked with addressing human resources issues, especially youth, and working on scientific methods for skilled manpower.


The chief ministers are expected to recommend measures to the NITI Aayog on how to deal with shortage of skilled manpower in production lines and also expand outreach of skill programmes, particularly in demographically advantageous states.

Amid reports that 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon (pictured), who is on death row, will be hanged this month end, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said his government would follow the directives of the Supreme Court on the issue.


"Whatever we do will be made public at an appropriate time," said Fadnavis, who is in New Delhi today.


"The Supreme Court has made a decision on this issue. Whatever directives will be given by the court, the Maharashtra government will act according to that. We will provide more information on this matter when the time is right," Fadnavis said.


If the execution is carried out, it will be the first in connection with the violence that rocked Mumbai resulting in the death of over 250 people in 1993. Media reports had said the execution will take place if Memon's plea is rejected by the Supreme Court, after his appeals against the death sentence were rejected by the apex court and by President Pranab Mukherjee.


Memon is lodged in Nagpur Central Jail, which reportedly has facility to carry out capital punishment.

A day after a stampede broke out at the bathing ghat at Rajahmundry, the Andhra Pradesh government today stepped up measures to ensure smooth conduct of the 'Pushkaram' festival.


A heavy rush of pilgrims is expected on the second day of the festival today as it is 'Aadi Amavasya', considered auspicious to perform rituals. An estimated 10.2 lakh people visited the ghats yesterday, East Godavari District Collector H Arun Kumar said.

The measures taken include...

-- Pilgrims have been evenly diverted to various ghats and there is no pressure on any particular ghat.

-- The administration is educating pilgrims that there are a number of ghats available for taking the holy dip and is also diverting people to different ghats.

-- Water sachets were being distributed to the pilgrims.

-- Police have stepped up vigil and senior officers and personnel have come in.

Twenty seven people lost their lives in the stampede yesterday when the pilgrims rushed out of the gates at the Pushkar ghat in Rajahmundry.


Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is staying put at Rajahmundry to oversee the arrangements, especially in view of the tragedy yesterday.


The state government is expecting about 3.5 to 4 crore footfalls during the 12-day Pushkaram for which it has set up around 275 ghats.


The Pushkaram, the rituals of taking holy dip in the river is celebrated once in 12 years in AP and Telangana. This year's festival is hailed as 'Maha Pushkaram' in view of its astronomical significance as it comes once in 144 years.

Digvijaya Singh on the Pushkaralu ghat stampede: It's a failure of the state govt, they should have taken care, they should have been careful. Affected families should be given adequate compensation.


Twenty-seven pilgrims, 23 of them women, died in a stampede on Tuesday on the banks of the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh on the first day of a major religious festival Godavari Pushkaram.


Pilgrims surged towards one of the gates that allows access to the river banks and a group of women slipped causing the stampede, said officials. The incident took place between 7.30 am and 8 am on the opening day of the 12-day event after gates were opened for people to take holy dip in the Godavari river. Read the full report here.

The defence ministry today approved a list of weapons, ammunition and hardware worth about Rs 30,000 crore that the armed forces want to acquire but with the caveat that most of them must be made in India. On the list is a replacement for the army's basic anti-aircraft guns - the L-70 and the Zu-23mm - that are of 1950s vintage, acquired from the Swedish firm Bofors and the then USSR's Podolsky Electromechanical plant. Read more

The Delhi High Court has suggested that the Delhi govt do away with the ban on app-based cab services and to hear them afresh for grant of licence.


The Delhi govt banned app-based taxi services and vehicles violating it are liable to be seized.

Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament scrapped with immediate effect.

Chief ministers of states across the country arrived at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official 7, Race Course Road residence on Wednesday morning for a Niti Aayog meeting.


The meeting, which will be chaired by the Prime Minister, will reportedly examine the Land Acquisition Bill. The chief ministers of every state are a part of the body's governing council.


However, the chief ministers of the nine Congress-led states have skipped the meeting. Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal have also given the meet a miss.

The killing of four policemen in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district is an "act of cowardice" and shows the frustration of Naxals over the action being taken by the administration against them, Chief Minister Raman Singh said here today.


He said Naxals are frustrated over the various development-related activities being undertaken by the government. "I am disheartened to know about the killing of four policemen by Naxals.It is an act of cowardice. I condemn it," Singh said.


"The measures taken by the government for security of people and development of the state has made them frustrated. The act of killing show their cruel face," said the chief minister, who is here to attend a meeting of Niti Aayog to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Singh said he has directed state Forest Minister Mahesh Gagra and Director General of Police A N Upadhyaya to visit the spot to assess the situation. Gagra is a member of state legislative Assembly from Naxal-hit Bijapur area.

"When he first came to office, my belief is that the PM's reading of the landscape was that, with a vanquished Congress and fragmented Opposition, he was looking at least at two terms in office. This reading perhaps allows for a more cautious, gradual approach."


Milan Vaishnav, associate in the South Asia Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace assesses the Modi government as it gears up to face a stormy session of Parliament.

He speaks to Archana Masih/Rediff.com. Read

Reports coming in of a shootout in Gurgaon.

Gunmen opened fire on an SUV near a mall in Gurgaon at 9 am today, leaving the driver of the car critically injured. The incident took place on MG Road outside Central Mall in Gurgaon.


The driver of the SUV has been taken to hospital. Assistant Commisioner of Police (Gurgaon) said the victim is accused of murder and is a known criminal.


The gunmen, who were in a Santro, escaped from the spot.


There was nobody else in the SUV. The ACP said that in order to avoid the killers, the SUV crashed into an autorickshaw. No details yet of whether the driver of the auto was injured.
 

The police are on the lookout for the assailants. Details awaited.

The picture of the SUV was tweeted by @sandali_tiwari

An Indian is reported among a group of 20 foreign tourists who have been arrested in northern China for suspected links to "a terror group"  according to reports by Britain's Foreign Office and a South African charity.


An Indian embassy spokesman told Reuters he had no information on the matter. China has agreed to release 11 of the tourists, but the rest will continue to be held without charge at a detention center in Inner Mongolia, the South African charity, Gift of the Givers Foundation, said.


Chinese authorities said some of those arrested had been watching propaganda videos from a banned group in their hotel room, the charity added in its statement.


The group was on a 47-day tour of the country when they were detained at an airport in the Inner Mongolian city of Erdos. Their tour operator realized something had gone "horribly wrong" on Sunday, two days later, the foundation said, when he hadn't heard from them.


"Consular staff have visited the group to provide assistance and we are liaising with Chinese authorities," a British Foreign Office spokesman told Reuters.


Chinese law enforcement authorities could not be immediately reached for comment. "These individuals have no terror links, no criminal record in their country," said Gift of the Givers, which has negotiated hostage releases.


Several of those detained are relatives of Shameel Joosub, chief executive of telecoms company Vodacom Group Ltd., the charity added

'India has to judge what Pakistan says to us, not what they say to a domestic audience,' a source tells Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com, explaining why India-Pakistan talks remain on track despite discordant noises from across the border. Read more

The Supreme Court may today decide on the release of seven death-row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.


The issue will be taken up by a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justices Ibrahim Kalifulla, Pinaki Ghose, AM Sapre and UU Lalit.


In February last year, the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentences of three of the seven convicts -- Murugan, Santhan and Periarivalan -- to life terms.


Subsequently, the Tamil Nadu government, exercising its remission powers, had ordered their release along with four other convicts who are serving life terms - Nalini, Robert Pius, Jayakumar and Ravichandran.


The Centre had, however, obtained stay on the convicts' release from the apex court.


The central government had argued before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court that since the case was being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, only it had the power of remission and not the state government.


The three-judge bench had then referred the matter to a five-judge Constitution Bench.  

Pakistani Rangers today violated the ceasefire again and resorted to sniper firing, leaving a BSF jawan injured and triggering an exchange of fire in the Kanachak sector of Akhnoor along the international border this morning.


As BSF troops tried to evacuate the injured jawan in a vehicle, they were heavily fired upon by Pakistani Rangers, he said. The BSF troops retaliated, resulting in exchange of fire which was still going on when last reports came in. The injured jawan has been hospitalised.


There have been ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the IB and Line of Control recently.

Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in one of the meeting rooms of the Congress Hall in Ufa last Friday, he told Sharif that if one asks people in India to name a stumbling block in normalising relations between the two countries, the majority say it's the release from jail of 26/11 attack accused Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.

Read more

The Aam Aadmi Party government will be naming Swati Maliwal, who is currently advisor (grievances) to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as the next Delhi commission for women chief.

She is the wife of party leader Naveen Jaihind. 

Maliwal is an RTI activist and the youngest member of India Against Corruption. She would be replacing Barkha Shukla as the DCW chief.

Just in: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Akhnoor, one Border Security Force jawan injured in firing, reports Times Now.

Details awaited.

The International Monetary Fund has attacked the bailout deal offered by Eurozone leaders to Greece, reports BBC.

The creditor said Greece's public debt had become "highly unsustainable" and it needed relief from its debts.  The IMF suggested options including writing down the debt -- a move most fiercely resisted by creditors.

The Greek parliament must pass four pieces of legislation on Wednesday.

Terrorists killed a retired police officer in south Kashmir Kulgam district late last night, reports Mukhtar Ahmad from Srinagar,

The incident came hours after a village Sarpanch was critically wounded when militants fired at him near the main bus stand in adjoining Shopian district on Tuesday afternoon.

A senior police officer said militants fired at Bashir Ahmad Dar,  a retired deputy superintendent of police as he was coming out of a mosque after offering prayers at Ashmuji in Kulgam district. "Dar was immediately shifted to local hospital where attending doctors referred him to Srinagar for specialised treatment, "the officer said. He said Dar, however, succumbed to injuries.

Senior police officers along with reinforcements reached the spot and the area was searched. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killing

Just in: The bodies of four police officials, who were kidnapped by Maoists in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, have been found.

The kidnapped policemen were killed with sharp weapons and they were found 5 km away from Bijapur.

Officials said that the personnel were kidnapped from a civilian bus plying in the Kutru police station area of the said district. Additional Director General of Police (anti-Naxal operations) RK Vij confirmed the development to PTI, saying that the personnel were in the rank of assistant constable.

The four personnel have been identified as Jaydev Yadav, Mangal Sodhi, Raju Tela and Rama Majji. These personnel are inducted to assist state police in conducting anti-Naxal operations and are also called as 'followers'.

The Allahabad high court will pass its order on a PIL seeking directions for disqualifying Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Azam Khan to be an MLA and restraining him from holding the office of minister for allegedly holding 'dual office of profit' today.

A division bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justice Shree Narain Shukla passed the order on a public interest litigation petition. According to petitioner's counsel H S Jain, the arguments in this matter concluded today.

Jain alleged that Azam, being an MLA and cabinet minister, can't be appointed as chairman of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam as it comes under the purview of holding 'dual office of profit'. This allegation was refuted by the state government which said that Azam is not getting any remuneration or profit as chairman of UP Jal Nigam and hence he did not come under 'holding dual office of profit'.

Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, a death row convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, will be hanged till death on July 30 in Nagpur Central Jail, if the Supreme Court rejects his curative petition on July 21. It will be the first execution in the 1993 blast case.

Memon has moved a curative petition in the Supreme Court which is expected to come up on July 21. As of now there is no stay on his execution, we are going by the procedure, DNA quoted a senior government officer as saying.

The Supreme Court had in April dismissed a review plea of Memon against death penalty in the case.

From Rediff Archives: The strange case of Yakub Memon

India Cements Ltd, owner of Chennai Super Kings, is planning to move the Supreme Court against the order of the court appointed committee suspending the team from Indian Premier League for two years.

Top sources in the company said they held discussions on the Lodha committee recommendations and decided they would approach the apex court seeking relief.

On Tuesday, CSK and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the IPL by a Supreme Court-appointed committee in a clean up of cricket hit by the 2013 betting scam involving their top officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra.