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Wed, 03 August 2016
Saudi Arabia agrees to help thousands of laid-off Indian workers
Timeline Refresh
23:01 Govt to announce GST implementation roadmap tomorrow
With Rajya Sabha approving the long-delayed GST bill, the government will tomorrow announce the implementation roadmap for the national sales tax regime, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said.
"It is only end of a beginning. The real work starts now," he said. "We will announce implementation roadmap tomorrow."
Stating that work has to be on war footing from now on, he said, "We want to implement it as soon as possible."
In the biggest tax reform since Independence, the national sales tax or GST Bill was today approved by the Rajya Sabha to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into the world's biggest single market.
22:50 Saudi Arabia agrees to help thousands of laid-off Indian workers
Saudi Arabia has agreed to assist thousands of laid-off Indian workers stranded in the kingdom without money or food, India's junior foreign minister Vijay Kumar Singh said on Wednesday.
A sharp drop in oil prices has forced cuts to state spending in Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude exporter. Construction firms have been squeezed financially and have laid off tens of thousands of south Asian and other foreign workers.
More than 6,200 of the stranded Indian workers were employed by construction firm Saudi Oger, a conglomerate owned by the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, which has been unable to pay workers' salaries for months, according to Indian officials.
Singh, visiting Riyadh on Wednesday to meet Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej al-Haqbani, said the Saudi government had provided assurances that it would resolve the crisis and ensure workers' financial claims were pursued, even if the workers returned home.
"Things are not as bad as they have been shown and projected. Things are very fine. We are in constant touch with all the officials and the various departments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the minister said in joint remarks with Haqbani after their meeting.
Image: Indian workers outside the office of construction firm Saudi Oger in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 3, 2016
22:24 GST to create multiple taxation points for IT industry: Nasscom
The GST regime would streamline the taxation system and make it much more transparent, but would also create multiple taxation points, which will be a "challenge" for the IT industry, Nasscom said today.
Nasscom President R Chandrasekhar said the concerns regarding multiple taxation points have been brought to the notice of the government and it expects a positive response while framing the GST law.
"IT services are intangible. The way things are looked at in the GST law, not the Constitution amendment, there we have a number of concerns which have been shared with the government.
"We feel that today for IT services, it is a simple regime. One single point of taxation which is central service tax, one single point of registration, one single invoice, one single place where you have to go for any refund.
22:15 Jaitley cuts cake, PM thanks Opposition after GST bill clears Rajya Sabha
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cut a celebratory cake after the passage of the Goods and Services amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha today.
The prime minister thanked the Opposition parties for their support in the passage of the GST amendment bill today.
"On this truly historic occasion of the passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, I thank the leaders and members of all parties," the PM wrote on his twitter handle.
"Our MPs must be congratulated for their path breaking decision to give India an indirect tax system for the 21st century," he added.
"We continue to work with all parties & states to introduce a system that benefits all Indians & promotes a vibrant & unified national market," he said, assuring the Opposition of the Centre's cooperation.
"This reform will promote @makeinindia, help exports & thus boost employment while providing enhanced revenue," PM Modi stated.
"I would like to add that GST will also be the best example of cooperative federalism. Together we will take India to new heights of progress," he said.
21:52 Rajya Sabha passes GST Amendment Bill
The Goods and Services Tax, India's biggest tax reform, was passed in parliament on Wednesday as the Rajya Sabha cleared the constitutional amendment.
The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the Upper House with 203 votes in favour and none against, after a seven-hour debate during which a rare bonhomie was witnessed among the ruling and the opposition parties.
Voting for the GST Constitutional Amendment began after the AIADMK walked out in protest.
21:35 One firefighter dead in Emirates flight accident
A firefighter lost his life while putting out the blaze of Emirates flight EK521 today.
The General Civil Aviation Authority says a firefighter lost his life battling the blaze of Emirates plan while saving the lives of others, Dubai Media Office tweeted.
The EK521 flight from Trivandrum to Dubai caught fire after landing at the Dubai International Airport.
21:30 2nd Test: Ashwin dismisses Blackwood, WI lose 5th wicket
Ravichandran Ashwin claimed the wicket of Jermaine Blackwood to get India a crucial breakthrough, on the fifth and final day of the second Test in Jamaica.
Blackwood smashed 63 from 54 balls, adding 93 runs for the fifth wicket with Roston Chase to reduce West Indies to 141-5, still needing 163 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
21:08
Just in: AIADMK walks out of Rajya Sabha during discussion on GST Bill, reports ANI.
20:52 Washington DC transit officer charged with aiding ISIS
In the first case of a US police officer charged with aiding ISIS, a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority cop was arrested Wednesday for providing material support to ISIS, according to two law enforcement officials.
According to CNN, Nicholas Young was arrested by the FBI following more than a year of investigation.
According to the officials, there was no evidence of any threat to the D.C. Metro system. Young will make his first appearance in court later Wednesday.
He would be the first police officer in the United States arrested and charged with supporting ISIS.
The Justice Department and law enforcement have been making a concerted effort to identify and arrest individuals sympathetic to ISIS to try to combat lone wolf or ISIS-inspired attacks.
Read more HERE.
20:47 Dubai airport flights resume after Emirates accident
The UAE government's media office said that flights would resume at 18.30 local (8.00 pm IST), with priority given to larger aircraft.
All arrivals and departures at Dubai International were suspended after a packed Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai crash landed and caught fire in Dubai with authorities saying that all on board were evacuated safely.
Emirates confirmed that flight EK521 with 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board was involved in an accident at Dubai international airport.
The airlines said there were 226 Indians aboard the Boeing 777-300.
20:31 Cabinet approves road safety bill
The cabinet has given its approval for Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016, intended to improve road safety.
The bill proposes hefty penalties for violation of traffic norms.
It also include stricter provisions for offences like juvenile driving, drunken driving, driving without licence etc.
It was decided that the penalty for hit-and-run cases will be Rs 2 lakh; up to Rs 10 lakh in case of fatality.
19:57 Australia accused of abusing refugees
Australia is deliberately abusing refugees in an offshore detention camp to try to stop people seeking asylum in their country by boat, human rights groups claim in a new report.
Daily violence, suicide attempts and children left without medical treatment were among some of the allegations documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch during a visit to Australia's detention center on the remote Pacific Island of Nauru in July.
Human Rights Watch Children's Rights Division senior counsel Michael Bochenek was one of two researchers who visited the island with a legal visa, but without notifying authorities directly of his intent or who he worked for.
"In my experience there is no other developed country that I can think of who has pursued this course of conduct with people who are fleeing persecution, who are seeking freedom, who are accused of no crime," Bochenek told CNN.
19:15 JuD supporters try to cross into Kashmir with aid for protesters
Hundreds of Pakistani supporters of a terror-linked charity tried to cross into Kashmir on Wednesday to deliver aid after weeks of violent protests there.
But the activists from the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charitable arm of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba did not have permission from either the Pakistani or Indian authorities to cross the border and were stopped in a village on the Pakistani side where they staged a protest.
"We will continue the sit-in until these essential food supplies are sent across the divide into the curfew ridden Kashmir valley," Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a senior official of the charity, told Reuters.
The United States designated the charity a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 2010.
Forty-six people have been killed and more 5,000 wounded, including Indian security forces, since protests erupted there after the killing of a militant commander on July 8.
The JuD activists, chanting "annihilation of India", tried to approach the LoC but were kept well back by steel barricades erected by Pakistani security forces in the village of Chakothi.
But the activists from the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charitable arm of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba did not have permission from either the Pakistani or Indian authorities to cross the border and were stopped in a village on the Pakistani side where they staged a protest.
"We will continue the sit-in until these essential food supplies are sent across the divide into the curfew ridden Kashmir valley," Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a senior official of the charity, told Reuters.
The United States designated the charity a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 2010.
Forty-six people have been killed and more 5,000 wounded, including Indian security forces, since protests erupted there after the killing of a militant commander on July 8.
The JuD activists, chanting "annihilation of India", tried to approach the LoC but were kept well back by steel barricades erected by Pakistani security forces in the village of Chakothi.
19:01 Kashmir witnessing 'new wave of freedom movement', says Sharif
Upping the ante, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Kashmir was witnessing a "new wave of freedom movement" and asked the diplomats to apprise the world that Kashmir was "not an internal matter" of India.
Addressing the concluding session of the three-day Envoys Conference organised by foreign ministry here, Sharif said, "resolution of the lingering dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is the corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy".
"Today Kashmir is witnessing a new wave of freedom movement," Sharif said, needling India on a day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived here to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference.
"This movement is running into the bloods of third generation of Kashmiri people and the world has itself seen its intensity in the wake of July 8," Sharif said, referring to the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in Kashmir.
"The Kashmiri youth are writing new chapters of sacrifices to get the right to self determination," he said. "They have lost eyesight due to bullets but the desire for freedom is guiding them to the destination," he added. He asked Pakistani envoys to apprise the world that "the Kashmir was not an internal matter of India".
"The ambassador should make the world feel that Kashmir is not the internal problem of India, as India already accepted it as dispute territory and the UN also declared it as a dispute between India and Pakistan," he said. The conference was attended by envoys of Pakistan posted at Washington, Beijing, New Delhi, Afghanistan, UN New York, UN Geneva, Vienna, Brussels and Moscow among others. Sharing his vision with the envoys, Sharif said that all bilateral issues with other regional countries should be solved though talks in a peaceful way. "We cannot afford a conflict. If we became part of any conflict, then our progress in the social and economic fields would be affected," he said.
Addressing the concluding session of the three-day Envoys Conference organised by foreign ministry here, Sharif said, "resolution of the lingering dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is the corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy".
"Today Kashmir is witnessing a new wave of freedom movement," Sharif said, needling India on a day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived here to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference.
"This movement is running into the bloods of third generation of Kashmiri people and the world has itself seen its intensity in the wake of July 8," Sharif said, referring to the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in Kashmir.
"The Kashmiri youth are writing new chapters of sacrifices to get the right to self determination," he said. "They have lost eyesight due to bullets but the desire for freedom is guiding them to the destination," he added. He asked Pakistani envoys to apprise the world that "the Kashmir was not an internal matter of India".
"The ambassador should make the world feel that Kashmir is not the internal problem of India, as India already accepted it as dispute territory and the UN also declared it as a dispute between India and Pakistan," he said. The conference was attended by envoys of Pakistan posted at Washington, Beijing, New Delhi, Afghanistan, UN New York, UN Geneva, Vienna, Brussels and Moscow among others. Sharing his vision with the envoys, Sharif said that all bilateral issues with other regional countries should be solved though talks in a peaceful way. "We cannot afford a conflict. If we became part of any conflict, then our progress in the social and economic fields would be affected," he said.
18:38 Pak confirms 'full security cover' as Rajnath lands in Islamabad amid protests
Just in: Full security cover provided to Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Islamabad. Protesters belong to religious groups, say sources in the Pakistan government.
This comes in the wake of Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed's threat of nationwide protests when India's home minister Rajnath Singh visits Islamabad for the SAARC conference.
"The home minister is going to Pakistan for the SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) Home Ministers' conference, it's a multilateral meeting, not bilateral talks, terrorism will figure in the talks," said Rijiju, minister of state for home affairs, ANI news agency reported.
Rajnath Singh has already landed in Islamabad. He is expected to raise the issue of most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and cross border terrorism.
Accompanied by a delegation comprising officials from his ministry and external affairs, Singh, who is on his maiden visit to Pakistan, will be underlining meaningful cooperation among the South Asian countries.
Image: HM Rajnath Singh in Islamabad for the SAARC Conference, meets Additional Secy of Pakistan Interior Minister Amir Ahmed.
This comes in the wake of Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed's threat of nationwide protests when India's home minister Rajnath Singh visits Islamabad for the SAARC conference.
"The home minister is going to Pakistan for the SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) Home Ministers' conference, it's a multilateral meeting, not bilateral talks, terrorism will figure in the talks," said Rijiju, minister of state for home affairs, ANI news agency reported.
Rajnath Singh has already landed in Islamabad. He is expected to raise the issue of most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and cross border terrorism.
Accompanied by a delegation comprising officials from his ministry and external affairs, Singh, who is on his maiden visit to Pakistan, will be underlining meaningful cooperation among the South Asian countries.
Image: HM Rajnath Singh in Islamabad for the SAARC Conference, meets Additional Secy of Pakistan Interior Minister Amir Ahmed.
18:32 Rains continue to lash Nashik; river Godavari in spate
With incessant rains lashing the district for the fourth consecutive day today, river Godavari and its tributaries remained in spate while several prominent temples were submerged due to flood. Over 100 people were rescued by the disaster management personnel from two flooded villages, officials said. The flood situation in Godavari, which has crossed the danger mark, and rivers Darna, Kadva and other tributaries in Nashik district remained unchanged today. The irrigation department released thousands of cusecs of water from Gangapur dam in Godavari, and also from Darna, Palkhed, Kadva and Valdevi dams at 9 AM today. Around 23,507 cusecs water was flowing under Ahilyabai Holkar bridge in Godavari as of now, officials said.
17:54
Just in: Flood alert in Pune after Khadakwasla dam sluice gates opened.
17:51 Rajnath in Islamabad for SAARC
Just in: Home minister Rajnath Singh lands in Islamabad for the SAARC meet.
Image: HM Rajnath Singh in Islamabad for the SAARC Conference, meets Additional Secy of Pakistan Interior Minister Amir Ahmed.
Image: HM Rajnath Singh in Islamabad for the SAARC Conference, meets Additional Secy of Pakistan Interior Minister Amir Ahmed.
17:33 Anandiben Patel submits her resignation to Gujarat governor
Just in: Anandiben Patel submits her resignation to Gujarat governor OP Kohli at the Raj Bhavan. Patel, who was in the midst of several challenges, announced her decision on Facebook to step down on Monday, saying it was time for new leadership to take over as she was soon going to turn 75. The party's parliamentary board met in New Delhi and accepted her resignation.
17:12 Two Indigo planes in near-miss over Guwahati, six injured
Two Indigo aircraft had a close shave yesterday after coming perilously close to each other over Guwahati, leaving six people injured, including two air-hostesses. The aircrafts involved were Indigo aircraft 6E-136 Guwahati to Chennai and 6E-813 Mumbai to Guwahati. At least 300 people were on board on both the jets.
The Indigo statement said, "Indigo flight 6E 813 from Guwahati to Mumbai experienced turbulence due to monsoon, this caused aircraft to climb 250-300 feet. At same instance aircraft 6E 136 was crossing 6E 813 following protocol pilot took advisory action to maintain desired separation. 4 passengers complained of giddiness and 2 cabin crew needed first aid, post turbulence."The statement added, "The incident took place yesterday (August 2, 2016). Flight later made a normal landing."
Representational picture.
The Indigo statement said, "Indigo flight 6E 813 from Guwahati to Mumbai experienced turbulence due to monsoon, this caused aircraft to climb 250-300 feet. At same instance aircraft 6E 136 was crossing 6E 813 following protocol pilot took advisory action to maintain desired separation. 4 passengers complained of giddiness and 2 cabin crew needed first aid, post turbulence."The statement added, "The incident took place yesterday (August 2, 2016). Flight later made a normal landing."
Representational picture.
17:12 What Nazi Heinrich Himmlers lost diaries say
Dinner parties... phone calls with his daughter... massage sessions... and orders for mass murder.Newly uncovered diary pages show in chilling detail how Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS in Nazi Germany, plotted some of the worst atrocities ever committed while also finding time for his family.
Although many of Himmler's diary pages were previously discovered, some 1,000 pages missing for more than 70 years were recently found in an archive in Moscow where they were listed only as "diary,' according to the Jewish Chronicle. Read more
Although many of Himmler's diary pages were previously discovered, some 1,000 pages missing for more than 70 years were recently found in an archive in Moscow where they were listed only as "diary,' according to the Jewish Chronicle. Read more
16:58 Maha CM at Mahad
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis takes an aerial survey of Mahad at the location where the the bridge collapsed. So far, 2 bodies have been fished out of the waters with at least 20 people missing.
16:38
Just in: @AlArabiya_Eng tweets: Emirates EK521 passengers were evacuated within 45 seconds after crash-landing.
16:34 Hizb chief leads protests against Rajnath's visit to Pakistan
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Sayeed Salahuddin leads protests against Home minister Rajnath Singh in Islamabad ahead of his arrival for the SAARC Conference.
Yesterday, accusing Rajnath Singh of being "responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris", Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his outfit if the home minister arrives in Islamabad to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ministerial conference.
"I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said in a statement.
"It will be ironical as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh," said the statement issued on Monday.
The mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack said "if Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris' killers but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris".
Yesterday, accusing Rajnath Singh of being "responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris", Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed has warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his outfit if the home minister arrives in Islamabad to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ministerial conference.
"I want to ask the Pakistani government will it add insult to injury to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Rajnath who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said in a statement.
"It will be ironical as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh," said the statement issued on Monday.
The mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack said "if Singh comes to Islamabad on August 3, the JuD would hold countrywide protest to tell the world that the Pakistani rulers might have compulsions to receive Kashmiris' killers but the people of Pakistan are siding with oppressed Kashmiris".
16:12 Sonia Gandhi fractures arm when she collapsed in Varanasi
Journalist Manu Pubby from the Economic Times tweets this health update on Sonia Gandhi: "Was a close call for Sonia Gandhi last night. Sources say situation was grim when she was admitted to Army RR. Sonia Gandhi was suffering from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Was stabilised at Army RR through the night. Call to take Sonia Gandhi to Army RR hospital last night was taken as situation was serious and Army hospital closest to airport. Sonia Gandhi also suffered an arm fracture after collapsing. Ortho specialist flown in from Mumbai for treatment."
Image: Sonia Gandhi at the Varanasi road show yesterday.
Image: Sonia Gandhi at the Varanasi road show yesterday.
16:05
Update on the situation at Dubai airport after the Emirates flight crashlanded there. Dubai flights diverted to Maktoum International Airport or Sharjah International Airport after Emirates flight crash-lands in Dubai.
15:56 Maoist chief Prachanda elected as Nepal prime minister
Nepal's parliament elected former Maoist rebel chief Prachanda, who led a decade-long insurgency that toppled a Hindu monarchy, as prime minister on Wednesday after predecessor K.P. Oli resigned rather than face defeat in a vote of no confidence, reports Reuters.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, 61, who still uses a nom de guerre that means "Fierce", won 363 votes out of the 573 cast in the 595-member parliament, Speaker Onsari Gharti said.
He becomes the 24th prime minister in 26 years since the Himalayan nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, 61, who still uses a nom de guerre that means "Fierce", won 363 votes out of the 573 cast in the 595-member parliament, Speaker Onsari Gharti said.
He becomes the 24th prime minister in 26 years since the Himalayan nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago.
15:52 Hollande says Trump's excesses make his stomach turn
French President Francois Hollande has strongly criticised US presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying some of the things Trump does make him sick.
"Some excesses make your stomach turn, even in the United States, especially when as did Donald Trump he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier," Hollande said according to three people present at a meeting yesterday with members of the French Presidential Press Association.
Hollande was referring to Trump's recent comments about captain Humayun Khan, a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq in 2004. In June, the French president said he would consider Trump's election as dangerous and it would complicate relationships between Europe and the United States, in an interview with Les Echos newspaper.
"Some excesses make your stomach turn, even in the United States, especially when as did Donald Trump he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier," Hollande said according to three people present at a meeting yesterday with members of the French Presidential Press Association.
Hollande was referring to Trump's recent comments about captain Humayun Khan, a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq in 2004. In June, the French president said he would consider Trump's election as dangerous and it would complicate relationships between Europe and the United States, in an interview with Les Echos newspaper.
15:32 News alerts
-- Communist Party's Prachanda elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal.
-- All departure flights from Dubai international airport have been delayed until further notice, says the Dubai government after an Emirates flight crash lands.
-- All departure flights from Dubai international airport have been delayed until further notice, says the Dubai government after an Emirates flight crash lands.
15:26 Dubai-Mangalore Jet Airways flight develops technical snag
A day of mishaps at Dubai airport, apparently. A Jet Airways Flight 9W 531 from Dubai to Mangalore reported a technical snag and returned to the Dubai airport. The flight landed safely at Dubai airport where problem was rectified. Flight has now commenced its journey to Mangalore, says Jet Airways.
15:19 Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram crash lands at Dubai airport
Just in: All passengers on board the Emirates flight EK521 which caught have been escorted to safety.
If you've just joined us, an Emirates airlines flight from Trivandrum to Dubai made an emergency landing in Dubai. Emirates tweeted to say: "can confirm that an incident happened at Dubai International Airport on 3rd August 2016 at about 12.45pm local time.
Gulf News also tweeted saying that an Emirates aircraft flying from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai made an emergency landing at Dubai airport.
An Emirates Airline statement said there were 275 passengers and crew on board the flight. Images posted online show thick black smoke coming from the plane.
All passengers safe and no injuries reported so far.
More details awaited.
Image: Smoke rises from the Emirates flight which crash landed at Dubai airport. The picture was tweeted by @Al Arabiya.
If you've just joined us, an Emirates airlines flight from Trivandrum to Dubai made an emergency landing in Dubai. Emirates tweeted to say: "can confirm that an incident happened at Dubai International Airport on 3rd August 2016 at about 12.45pm local time.
Gulf News also tweeted saying that an Emirates aircraft flying from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai made an emergency landing at Dubai airport.
An Emirates Airline statement said there were 275 passengers and crew on board the flight. Images posted online show thick black smoke coming from the plane.
All passengers safe and no injuries reported so far.
More details awaited.
Image: Smoke rises from the Emirates flight which crash landed at Dubai airport. The picture was tweeted by @Al Arabiya.
14:54 GST stands for Good Sense Prevails, Chidambaram debates the bill
P Chidambaram from the INC rises to speak on GST. Highlights...
-- I welcome the friendly and conciliatory tone of Finance Minister's speech.
-- Tone and approach has changed over the last 3-4 weeks and that augers well for this bill.
-- Many issues yet to be resolved. Congress was never opposed to the idea of GST.
-- Hope the Finance Minister will pass GST bill not on strength of numbers but in strength of his arguments.
-- Congress was never opposed to the idea of a GST; Congress only wanted to fix serious flaws in the GST bill. Today, if we pass this GST bill, it will be on basis of serious discussions, serious debate and negotiations.
-- The 2014 GST Bill was opposed, idea wasn't because we felt it was possible to have a more perfect bill. There were too many flaws in GST
Bill which could be fixed and hence we didn't support the bill.
-- GST stands for Good Sense Prevails.
-- Parliament must decide the GST rate.
-- I'd urge the finance minister to further strengthen the bill.
-- GST rate above 18% will defeat the purpose of the bill. The GST rate can be kept low.
-- Parliament must decide the GST rate.
-- Will support the GST bill but want assurance from the finance minister.
-- Thank the government for dropping the 1% tax.
-- I welcome the friendly and conciliatory tone of Finance Minister's speech.
-- Tone and approach has changed over the last 3-4 weeks and that augers well for this bill.
-- Many issues yet to be resolved. Congress was never opposed to the idea of GST.
-- Hope the Finance Minister will pass GST bill not on strength of numbers but in strength of his arguments.
-- Congress was never opposed to the idea of a GST; Congress only wanted to fix serious flaws in the GST bill. Today, if we pass this GST bill, it will be on basis of serious discussions, serious debate and negotiations.
-- The 2014 GST Bill was opposed, idea wasn't because we felt it was possible to have a more perfect bill. There were too many flaws in GST
Bill which could be fixed and hence we didn't support the bill.
-- GST stands for Good Sense Prevails.
-- Parliament must decide the GST rate.
-- I'd urge the finance minister to further strengthen the bill.
-- GST rate above 18% will defeat the purpose of the bill. The GST rate can be kept low.
-- Parliament must decide the GST rate.
-- Will support the GST bill but want assurance from the finance minister.
-- Thank the government for dropping the 1% tax.
14:48 Emirates flight to Thiruvananthapuram makes emergency landing at Dubai airport
Just in: Emirates airline @emirates tweets: Emirates can confirm that an incident happened at Dubai International Airport on 3rd August 2016 at about 12.45pm local time. Gulf News also tweeted saying that an Emirates aircraft flying from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai made an emergency landing at Dubai airport. All passengers safe. Details awaited.
Image: Smoke rises from the Emirates flight. The picture was tweeted by @LimWuiLiang
Image: Smoke rises from the Emirates flight. The picture was tweeted by @LimWuiLiang
14:43 Sonia discharged from hospital
Sonia Gandhi discharged from the Army R&R hospital in New Delhi. She was admitted last night after she developed high fever during the road show in Varanasi yesterday. She has been moved to Ganga Ram Hospital for observation for two days.
14:33 GST is one of the most reformative tax reforms: Jaitley ushers in Parl debate
Finance minister Arun Jaitley opens the GST debate in the Rajya Sabha.
Highlights...
-- GST is one of the most reformative tax reforms.
-- A reform like GST cannot be passed on partisan consensus.
-- State-Centre needs to work together.
-- 2/3rd of the voting power in the GST council belongs to states, 1/3rd belongs to the Centre.
-- There has been major consensus building that has taken place, extremely thankful to all opposition parties especially Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the Opposition. The large consensus built was absolutely necessary.
-- Merits of the system itself are that it would convert India into one uniform economic market with a uniform tax rate,bring about seamless transfer of goods and services across country, enable us to check evasion.
-- After GST India will be one economic marketplace.
India Inc on Tuesday said it is looking forward to introduction of the much-awaited Goods and Services Tax, saying it would be a very significant step in the field of indirect tax reforms in India. The government has circulated official amendments to the GST bill to drop 1 per cent additional tax and include a definite provision in the statute for compensating states for revenue loss for 5 years as it gears up to discuss the long-pending bill.
Highlights...
-- GST is one of the most reformative tax reforms.
-- A reform like GST cannot be passed on partisan consensus.
-- State-Centre needs to work together.
-- 2/3rd of the voting power in the GST council belongs to states, 1/3rd belongs to the Centre.
-- There has been major consensus building that has taken place, extremely thankful to all opposition parties especially Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the Opposition. The large consensus built was absolutely necessary.
-- Merits of the system itself are that it would convert India into one uniform economic market with a uniform tax rate,bring about seamless transfer of goods and services across country, enable us to check evasion.
-- After GST India will be one economic marketplace.
India Inc on Tuesday said it is looking forward to introduction of the much-awaited Goods and Services Tax, saying it would be a very significant step in the field of indirect tax reforms in India. The government has circulated official amendments to the GST bill to drop 1 per cent additional tax and include a definite provision in the statute for compensating states for revenue loss for 5 years as it gears up to discuss the long-pending bill.
14:00
Shereen Bhan @ShereenBhan AIADMK amendment to seek additional tax on supply of goods not more than 4 percent; levies should be assigned to origin state.
13:53 Schedule for India-Bangladesh one-off Test announced
India will play Bangladesh in a historic one-off Test match from February 08-12, 2017 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
The Test match will mark Bangladesh's first official visit to India since attaining Test status in 2000.
Underlining the significance of the Test, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur said: "As a leading Test playing nation it is BCCI's responsibility to give opportunity to every Test playing nation. It is my pleasure to announce the historic one-off Test match against our neighbours -- Bangladesh early next year. This will be a great addition to our home season 2016-17."
BCB President Nazmul Hassan said the short tour would be a cherished experience for players and fans of both countries: "For the cricketers who will be representing Bangladesh and India, this will be a much anticipated game and given the competitive nature of their limited overs matches in the recent past, I believe the clash between these two cricket crazy nations will catch the imagination. "The long wait for us to play a Test match on Indian soil is finally over and this is a time for celebration,' he added.
The Test match will mark Bangladesh's first official visit to India since attaining Test status in 2000.
Underlining the significance of the Test, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur said: "As a leading Test playing nation it is BCCI's responsibility to give opportunity to every Test playing nation. It is my pleasure to announce the historic one-off Test match against our neighbours -- Bangladesh early next year. This will be a great addition to our home season 2016-17."
BCB President Nazmul Hassan said the short tour would be a cherished experience for players and fans of both countries: "For the cricketers who will be representing Bangladesh and India, this will be a much anticipated game and given the competitive nature of their limited overs matches in the recent past, I believe the clash between these two cricket crazy nations will catch the imagination. "The long wait for us to play a Test match on Indian soil is finally over and this is a time for celebration,' he added.
13:45 Captain Khan's Commander in Iraq: The Khan Family Is Our Family
The fallen captain's troops say they did not know Humayun Khan was Muslim, only that he was a patriot and a protector. And his commander has a message for Trump. Read more
13:35 Overflowing reservoirs likely to end Mumbai's water woes
After heavy and long spells of rain in Mumbai and adjoining areas, four of the seven reservoirs, which supply water to the city are overflowing, bringing relief to citizens and civic authorities.
"We are happy to say that sufficient rains have filled up our reservoirs up to 90 per cent as four out of seven reservoirs, from which we supply water to the metropolis, have started overflowing," Ashok Tawadia, Chief Hydrolic Engineer of BMC told PTI.
He said Tulsi Lake, Vehar Lake, the Modak Sagar and Tansa lakes have started overflowing. Out of the total requirement of 14.50 million litre for the entire year, we have reserved 13.13 million litre of water in seven reservoirs up to 6 am today, he said.
Tawadia also hoped that more rainfall in the coming days would eliminate water woes in the city due following the consecutive droughts in Maharashtra.
According to the daily lake level report released by the civic body yesterday, Vehar started overflowing at 4.20 am on August 1, Modak Sagar started overflowing at 10.28 pm on Monday night and Tansa started overflowing at 2.14 am yesterday.
Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna and Bhatsa are the three catchment areas that still need to be filled, out of which Bhatsa reservoir is the largest water supplying dam, Tawadia said.
"We are happy to say that sufficient rains have filled up our reservoirs up to 90 per cent as four out of seven reservoirs, from which we supply water to the metropolis, have started overflowing," Ashok Tawadia, Chief Hydrolic Engineer of BMC told PTI.
He said Tulsi Lake, Vehar Lake, the Modak Sagar and Tansa lakes have started overflowing. Out of the total requirement of 14.50 million litre for the entire year, we have reserved 13.13 million litre of water in seven reservoirs up to 6 am today, he said.
Tawadia also hoped that more rainfall in the coming days would eliminate water woes in the city due following the consecutive droughts in Maharashtra.
According to the daily lake level report released by the civic body yesterday, Vehar started overflowing at 4.20 am on August 1, Modak Sagar started overflowing at 10.28 pm on Monday night and Tansa started overflowing at 2.14 am yesterday.
Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna and Bhatsa are the three catchment areas that still need to be filled, out of which Bhatsa reservoir is the largest water supplying dam, Tawadia said.
13:23 CPI makes history, agrees to Mamata's West Bengal name change
The Communist Party of India, for a change, is on the same page as the Trinamool Congress government on the issue of renaming the state as 'Bengal', saying the move reflected reality.
"We agree. It's alright. No problem," CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy told PTI on the West Bengal government's proposal to change the name of the state.
The West Bengal Cabinet yesterday took up a proposal to rename the state as 'Bengal' in English and 'Bango' or 'Bangla' in Bengali. "Now we are giving a new proposal and will convene a special session of the Assembly on August 26 to pass a resolution to this effect," state minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata yesterday.
Reddy said: "Earlier West Bengal and East Bengal in the undivided India...it was kept because it was separate entities in Bengal. Now, it's a normal affair (to change the name). I don't think there is any objection to it."
"We agree. It's alright. No problem," CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy told PTI on the West Bengal government's proposal to change the name of the state.
The West Bengal Cabinet yesterday took up a proposal to rename the state as 'Bengal' in English and 'Bango' or 'Bangla' in Bengali. "Now we are giving a new proposal and will convene a special session of the Assembly on August 26 to pass a resolution to this effect," state minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata yesterday.
Reddy said: "Earlier West Bengal and East Bengal in the undivided India...it was kept because it was separate entities in Bengal. Now, it's a normal affair (to change the name). I don't think there is any objection to it."
13:08
Anandiben Patel to meet Gujarat Governor OP Kohli at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar at 5 pm today, will officially submit her resignation.
12:56 World Wrestling Federation nod for Narsingh Yadav to Rio
United World Wrestling Federation has cleared wrestler Narsingh Yadav's participation in the Rio Olympics. The news was confirmed by the Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Saran Singh.
The National Anti-Doping Association (NADA) on Monday gave clean chit to wrestler Narsingh Yadav in doping case and allowed him to participate in the Rio Olympics.
A panel of the NADA, reviewing Narsinghs case, said the wrestler is a victim of sabotage as there is no fault and negligence on his part.
There is no fault and negligence on Narsingh Yadavs part, he is a victim of sabotage done by a competitor, said NADA DG Naveen Agarwal while reading out the verdict.
We kept in mind that in the past, till June 2, none of his samples were positive. It was inconceivable that one-time ingestion would be of benefit. Therefore the panel is of the view that the one-time ingestion was not intentional, said Agarwal.
The National Anti-Doping Association (NADA) on Monday gave clean chit to wrestler Narsingh Yadav in doping case and allowed him to participate in the Rio Olympics.
A panel of the NADA, reviewing Narsinghs case, said the wrestler is a victim of sabotage as there is no fault and negligence on his part.
There is no fault and negligence on Narsingh Yadavs part, he is a victim of sabotage done by a competitor, said NADA DG Naveen Agarwal while reading out the verdict.
We kept in mind that in the past, till June 2, none of his samples were positive. It was inconceivable that one-time ingestion would be of benefit. Therefore the panel is of the view that the one-time ingestion was not intentional, said Agarwal.
12:49 Obama will go down as worst president in US history: Trump
Donald Trump today hit back at Barack Obama for terming him unfit for presidency, saying the "terrible president" was a "disaster" and probably the worst in American history, as the war of words between the two leaders escalated.
"Well he's a terrible president. He'll probably go down as the worst president in the history of our country, he's been a total disaster," Trump told Sinclair Broadcast group in an interview yesterday.
"You look at what happens in the Middle East, in Syria and his line in the sand. I think it just means he's concerned I'm going to win," he claimed. "Don't forget last time he said I would never get the nomination, now he is saying I wouldn't get the election now all of a sudden he said the other day maybe I can win the election, no I guess he probably has to say that kind of thing," Trump said when asked about Obama's statement yesterday. Obama had strongly denounced Trump, saying he is unfit to serve as the 45th president of the US.
"Well he's a terrible president. He'll probably go down as the worst president in the history of our country, he's been a total disaster," Trump told Sinclair Broadcast group in an interview yesterday.
"You look at what happens in the Middle East, in Syria and his line in the sand. I think it just means he's concerned I'm going to win," he claimed. "Don't forget last time he said I would never get the nomination, now he is saying I wouldn't get the election now all of a sudden he said the other day maybe I can win the election, no I guess he probably has to say that kind of thing," Trump said when asked about Obama's statement yesterday. Obama had strongly denounced Trump, saying he is unfit to serve as the 45th president of the US.
12:43 Speaker asks AAP MP Bhagwant Mann not to attend Parliament
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asks AAP MP Bhagwant Mann not to attend Parliament till a decision is taken on the videography matter. The Speaker has also extended by 2 weeks the term of the House panel probing the matter.
Yesterday, his Lok Sabha colleagues have suggested that the Aam Aadmi Party MP who kicked off a controversy by live streaming the security arrangements at the Parliament, has been should be sent to a rehab centre for drug and alcohol de-addiction.
Some MPs, including Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandumajra, BJP's Maheish Girri and suspended AAP MP Harinder Singh Khalsa have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, urging her to send Mann+ to rehab at the Lok Sabha's expense.
Yesterday, his Lok Sabha colleagues have suggested that the Aam Aadmi Party MP who kicked off a controversy by live streaming the security arrangements at the Parliament, has been should be sent to a rehab centre for drug and alcohol de-addiction.
Some MPs, including Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandumajra, BJP's Maheish Girri and suspended AAP MP Harinder Singh Khalsa have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, urging her to send Mann+ to rehab at the Lok Sabha's expense.
12:11 Sonia stable, under observation at hospital: Cong
In other news, Congress President Sonia Gandhi was today "stable" and under observation of specialist doctors at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital here after she was admitted there late last night due to high fever, her party said. No medical bulletin on her health has been yet issued by the hospital but the Congress said she is recovering under medical supervision.
The 69-year-old Congress chief returned to New Delhi yesterday by a chartered flight close to midnight after she had to abandon the 8-km roadshow in Varanasi midway due to illness. AICC media cell in-charge Randeep Surjewala said she is stable and is recovering under medical supervision. "Yesterday itself, she had said that she would return to Varanasi to meet the people and to have 'darshan of the historical temple of Kashi Vishwanath Ji'. On return, she was admitted to hospital in Delhi, is stable and is recovering under medical supervision," he said in a statement.
The Congress President is overwhelmed by the concern and affection of fellow countrymen and crores of Congressmen and has thanked everyone for their good wishes, he said.
Sources said doctors have kept Sonia under observation as she was running high fever yesterday and got dehydrated due to exhaustion during the road show.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, were by her side. Her son-in-law Robert Vadra also visited her. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had yesterday said that her condition was "stable" after she suffered a bout of "dehydration, vomited and had fever" in Varanasi.
Image: Sonia Gandhi at the roadshow in Varanasi yesterday.
The 69-year-old Congress chief returned to New Delhi yesterday by a chartered flight close to midnight after she had to abandon the 8-km roadshow in Varanasi midway due to illness. AICC media cell in-charge Randeep Surjewala said she is stable and is recovering under medical supervision. "Yesterday itself, she had said that she would return to Varanasi to meet the people and to have 'darshan of the historical temple of Kashi Vishwanath Ji'. On return, she was admitted to hospital in Delhi, is stable and is recovering under medical supervision," he said in a statement.
The Congress President is overwhelmed by the concern and affection of fellow countrymen and crores of Congressmen and has thanked everyone for their good wishes, he said.
Sources said doctors have kept Sonia under observation as she was running high fever yesterday and got dehydrated due to exhaustion during the road show.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, were by her side. Her son-in-law Robert Vadra also visited her. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had yesterday said that her condition was "stable" after she suffered a bout of "dehydration, vomited and had fever" in Varanasi.
Image: Sonia Gandhi at the roadshow in Varanasi yesterday.
12:04 Raigad bridge collapse: Two bodies recovered, 19 missing
Two bodies recovered during search operations following the bridge collapse in Raigad, reports AIR quoting the Raigad collector. One NDRF team of 50 men and eight navy divers have been deployed at the spot, while an Air Force chopper has also been pressed into service. Around 80 rescuers and divers have been sent to the spot, said the National Disaster Response Force. A Chetak helicopter has been launched by the Coast Guard to help search for the missing vehicles. However, with the river in spate, rescue operations have been hampered.
Raigad Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque and Collector visited the spot where the bridge once stood.
The bridge, built more than seven decades ago in Mahad town, crashed around 1 am after flood waters rushed into the river Savitri.
11:50 Bridge collapse: NDRF team of 50 men, IAF chopper, navy divers at spot
Update on the Raigad bridge collapse.
One NDRF team of 50 men and eight navy divers have been deployed at the spot, while an Air Force chopper has also been pressed into service. Around 80 rescuers and divers have been sent to the spot, said the National Disaster Response Force.A Chetak helicopter has been launched by the Coast Guard to help search for the missing vehicles. However, with the river in spate, rescue operations have been hampered.
The bridge, built more than 70 years ago in Mahad town, crashed around 1 am after flood waters rushed into the river Savitri.Buses and private cars are believed to have plunged into the flooded river with dozens of people after the bridge collapsed.
Two state transport buses with 11 passengers each are missing. The buses started from Mumbai but did not arrive at their destination.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and assured all help in rescue and relief ops.
One NDRF team of 50 men and eight navy divers have been deployed at the spot, while an Air Force chopper has also been pressed into service. Around 80 rescuers and divers have been sent to the spot, said the National Disaster Response Force.A Chetak helicopter has been launched by the Coast Guard to help search for the missing vehicles. However, with the river in spate, rescue operations have been hampered.
The bridge, built more than 70 years ago in Mahad town, crashed around 1 am after flood waters rushed into the river Savitri.Buses and private cars are believed to have plunged into the flooded river with dozens of people after the bridge collapsed.
Two state transport buses with 11 passengers each are missing. The buses started from Mumbai but did not arrive at their destination.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and assured all help in rescue and relief ops.
11:32 Riberio's PIL on Ishrat Jahan case dismissed
The High Court dismisses former top cop Julio Ribeiro's PIL challenging appointment of Ishrat encounter case accused P P Pandey as in-charge DGP of Gujarat.
The Gujarat High Court in May had admitted a PIL filed by the former supercop challenging the appointment of IPS officer P P Pandey as in-charge DGP of Gujarat when he is an accused in the alleged fake encounter case of Mumbai college student Ishrat Jahan.
A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and V M Pancholi admitted the PIL and asked the public prosecutor to take instructions from the state government on the issue.
The Gujarat High Court in May had admitted a PIL filed by the former supercop challenging the appointment of IPS officer P P Pandey as in-charge DGP of Gujarat when he is an accused in the alleged fake encounter case of Mumbai college student Ishrat Jahan.
A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and V M Pancholi admitted the PIL and asked the public prosecutor to take instructions from the state government on the issue.
11:16
The Supreme Court refuses to revisit its verdict holding that an elected or nominated MP of a political party remains attached with it even after his/her expulsion.
11:15
Congress president Sonia Gandhi admitted to Army RR hospital; Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to visit her.
11:07 Amit Shah tasked to pick next Gujarat CM after Anandiben resigns
BJP Parliamentary Board authorises party chief Amit Shah to pick the Chief Ministerial nominee for Gujarat in the legislature party meeting. Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey to be central observers at Gujarat BJP legislature party meet where the next CM will be decided, says Venkaiah Naidu.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patels resignation, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said after the partys Parliamentary Board meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence.
Anandiben will go to Raj Bhavan today and submit her resignation to the Governor, Naidu said.
He said the new CM will be from among the sitting MLAs of the Gujarat assembly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patels resignation, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said after the partys Parliamentary Board meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence.
Anandiben will go to Raj Bhavan today and submit her resignation to the Governor, Naidu said.
He said the new CM will be from among the sitting MLAs of the Gujarat assembly.
10:36 BJP accepts Anandiben's resignation; Amit Shah not to be new CM
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patels resignation, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said after partys Parliamentary Board meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence.
Anandiben will go to Raj Bhavan today and submit her resignation to the Governor, Naidu said.
He said the new CM will be from among the sitting MLAs of the Gujarat assembly.
"Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey have been appointed observers,they will go to Gujarat and hold meetings,and after that a decision on next CM will be taken," Naidu said.
He, however, did not say anything about who will succeed Anandiben, but it is most likely that Gujarat BJP president Vijay Rupani will be the new CM.
Naidu ruled out BJP president Amit Shah be made the new CM, saying that the party wants him to continue as the party president as we need his leadership.
Anandiben will go to Raj Bhavan today and submit her resignation to the Governor, Naidu said.
He said the new CM will be from among the sitting MLAs of the Gujarat assembly.
"Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey have been appointed observers,they will go to Gujarat and hold meetings,and after that a decision on next CM will be taken," Naidu said.
He, however, did not say anything about who will succeed Anandiben, but it is most likely that Gujarat BJP president Vijay Rupani will be the new CM.
Naidu ruled out BJP president Amit Shah be made the new CM, saying that the party wants him to continue as the party president as we need his leadership.
10:27
Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: Chetak Helicopter deployed by Indian Coast Guard carries out search operation for missing vehicle.
10:19 Kejriwal should also be sent to rehab centre with Mann: BJP leader
A day after Lok Sabha MPs requested Sumitra Mahajan to send under fire Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann to a rehabilitation centre, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prem Shukla on Wednesday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should also be sent along with the former, as one would become intoxication-free and the other would come to his senses.
I think Arvind Kejriwal should consider it seriously. The one, who is trying to make Punjab intoxication-free, should at least make his MP intoxication free. I think there is need to send Arvind Kejriwal to rehab centre. If both of them stay together in the rehab centre, one will be intoxication free and the other will come to senses, Shukla told ANI.
Members of Parliament had on Tuesday wrote to Mahajan, requesting her to send Mann to a rehabilitation centre for drugs and alcohol de-addiction at the expenditure of the House.
Mann is currently not attending the Monsoon Session after he came under fire for doing a Facebook Live while entering the Parliament.
I think Arvind Kejriwal should consider it seriously. The one, who is trying to make Punjab intoxication-free, should at least make his MP intoxication free. I think there is need to send Arvind Kejriwal to rehab centre. If both of them stay together in the rehab centre, one will be intoxication free and the other will come to senses, Shukla told ANI.
Members of Parliament had on Tuesday wrote to Mahajan, requesting her to send Mann to a rehabilitation centre for drugs and alcohol de-addiction at the expenditure of the House.
Mann is currently not attending the Monsoon Session after he came under fire for doing a Facebook Live while entering the Parliament.
10:11 BJP Parliamentary Board meeting ends
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, J P Nadda and others. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and party president Amit Shah, along with other leaders, are attended the Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board meeting at PM's residence.
The meeting has just ended.
The leaders discussed the resignation submitted by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and her likely successor.
The meeting has just ended.
The leaders discussed the resignation submitted by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and her likely successor.
09:18 BJP meet to choose Anandiben's successor begins
The Parliamentary Board meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party is underway to discuss choose a new Gujarat chief minister.
The meeting is being held at 7 Race Course Road, Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence.
Resignation offered by Anandiben Patel is being discussed in the meet.
Sources said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh doesnt want a Patel to succeed to Anandiben. If this is true then the balance tilts in favour of Gujarat BJP president Vijay Rupani.
According to reports, party president Amit Shah also wants Rupani to succeed Anandiben.
The meeting is being held at 7 Race Course Road, Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence.
Resignation offered by Anandiben Patel is being discussed in the meet.
Sources said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh doesnt want a Patel to succeed to Anandiben. If this is true then the balance tilts in favour of Gujarat BJP president Vijay Rupani.
According to reports, party president Amit Shah also wants Rupani to succeed Anandiben.
09:01 Father of Benghazi hero endorses Trump for US President
Father of a United States Navy SEAL who died in the 2012 Benghazi terror attack on an American consulate has come out in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, while alleging that Hillary Clintons poor judgement as Secretary of State led to the deaths in Libya.
I support Donald Trump, the national security as well as the economy are the two most important issues that voters are going to have to decide upon next November, Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods said in a statement issued by the Trump campaign.
Woods alleged that the poor judgment of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led to the tragic deaths in Libya.
First, her reckless decision to invade Libya unleashed radical Islamic terror groups that threatened Americans. Compounded with her failure to provide the necessary security upgrades and reinforcements cost four Americans their lives, he said.
After it all, she lied to the world about what happened to cover up the role of Radical Islam, he added.
We could have known more about her actions, but she illegally stored and then deleted 33,000 emails, the statement said.
Tyrone Woods is an American hero and his father is a tremendous person whom I have great respect for. His support is so important to me. Together we are going to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and make America safe again, Trump said.
I support Donald Trump, the national security as well as the economy are the two most important issues that voters are going to have to decide upon next November, Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods said in a statement issued by the Trump campaign.
Woods alleged that the poor judgment of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led to the tragic deaths in Libya.
First, her reckless decision to invade Libya unleashed radical Islamic terror groups that threatened Americans. Compounded with her failure to provide the necessary security upgrades and reinforcements cost four Americans their lives, he said.
After it all, she lied to the world about what happened to cover up the role of Radical Islam, he added.
We could have known more about her actions, but she illegally stored and then deleted 33,000 emails, the statement said.
Tyrone Woods is an American hero and his father is a tremendous person whom I have great respect for. His support is so important to me. Together we are going to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and make America safe again, Trump said.
08:53 V K Singh reaches Saudi to assist jobless, starving Indians
Union Minister V K Singh arrives in Jeddah to assist Indians affected by food crisis in Saudi Arabia.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had promised on Monday that about 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who have lost their jobs and cannot even buy food due to severe financial hardship will be brought back home.
Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was fluid and dynamic. They said the situation varied from company to company.
Sources said 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations.
Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said.
The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 8-10 days, they said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had promised on Monday that about 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who have lost their jobs and cannot even buy food due to severe financial hardship will be brought back home.
Official sources said approximately 10,000 Indian workers have been affected by the economic slowdown in the Gulf and the situation was fluid and dynamic. They said the situation varied from company to company.
Sources said 3,172 Indian workers in Riyadh have not been paid their salary dues for several months but are getting regular rations.
Separately, 2,450 Indian workers belonging to the Saudi Oger Company are housed in five camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif. Since July 25, the company had stopped providing meals to the workers besides defaulting on their salaries, the sources said.
The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, with the assistance of the diaspora, has provided rations to the workers which should be sufficient for the next 8-10 days, they said.
08:38
All you need to know about the Goods and Services Tax.
08:24 Bend it like Kerry!
United States Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted this image. 'Proud to lead the US delegation & support
#TeamUSA at the #Rio2016 Olympic Games. Ive been practicing just in case...,' he wrote.
08:11 Bridge collapses on Mumbai-Goa highway due to heavy rains
A Bridge collapsed on Mumbai-Goa highway at around 2 am on Wednesday due to heavy rains, causing the traffic to halt. Rescue operations are underway.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that there were two parallel bridges, one was newly constructed while the older one was there since the British era. The older one collapsed.
He also said that Raigad collector had confirmed that one-way traffic has now resumed on the new bridge.
There are no reports about any casualties yet but according to CNN News 18, two buses have gone missing.
Fadnavis said that primary reason for the collapse seems to be high pressure caused by flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar.
The National Disaster Response Force has sent a team comprising 50 men for relief operations, the NDRF said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that there were two parallel bridges, one was newly constructed while the older one was there since the British era. The older one collapsed.
He also said that Raigad collector had confirmed that one-way traffic has now resumed on the new bridge.
There are no reports about any casualties yet but according to CNN News 18, two buses have gone missing.
Fadnavis said that primary reason for the collapse seems to be high pressure caused by flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar.
The National Disaster Response Force has sent a team comprising 50 men for relief operations, the NDRF said.
04:08 Rajnath's Pak trip today; onus on Islamabad for his security, says India
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will today travel to Pakistan for the meeting of interior ministers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation at a time when a surge of violence in Kashmir has escalated rivalry between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
As of now, a separate meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is not on Rajnath's agenda.
Sources said Indian security agencies who are in touch with their Pakistani counterparts have been assured that an elaborate security cover has been planned for the Indian Home Minister which will almost be at par with that of a head of state.
Indian security agencies have been closely monitoring security arrangements for Rajnath Singh particularly in wake of threat issued by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.
"If any security issue arises, it is Pakistan's responsibility to deal with. Rajnath Singh is going to Pakistan for SAARC Home Ministers' conference. It is a multi-lateral meeting, not bilateral talks," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, reminding Pakistan of its security obligations to SAARC.
According to home ministry sources, Singh is expected to bluntly ask Pakistan to stop sponsoring acts of terror in India and also raise the issue of slow pace of probe into the Pathankot airbase terror attack, which was carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, and the trial into the Mumbai terror attack case in that country.
03:31 Army to get BrahMos missile regiment for China front
Times of India reports: The NDA government has given the final go-ahead for the Army to induct and deploy an advanced version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with "trajectory manoeuvre and steep-dive capabilities" for mountain warfare, in the northeast as a conventional deterrent against China.
Sources said the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the fourth BrahMos regiment at a cost of over Rs 4,300 crore.
The regiment consists of around 100 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 heavy-duty trucks and a mobile command post, among other hardware and software.
The 290-km range BrahMos is a tactical or non-nuclear missile with "nine times more kinetic energy than sub-sonic missiles" for greater destructive potential. Jointly developed with Russia, it has become the preferred precision-strike weapon for the Indian armed forces.
Read more HERE
03:22 Hillary extends lead over Trump to 8 percentage points: Reuters poll
Reuters reports: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton extended her lead over Republican rival Donald Trump to eight percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, from six points on Friday.
The bump for Clinton followed the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week at which Clinton and her supporters painted an optimistic portrait of America, and came amid controversy over Trump's comments about the parents of a slain Muslim US soldier.
About 43 percent of likely voters favor Clinton, 35 percent favor Trump, and 9 percent picked "Other," according to the July 28-Aug. 1 online poll of 1,289 likely voters. The poll had a credibility interval of 3 percentage points.
Trump has faced a barrage of criticism in recent days from political allies as well as opponents after he criticized the parents of US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.
02:03 New York City police chief Bill Bratton to step down
BBC reports: New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton -- the most prominent law enforcement officer in the US -- will step down in September.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Bratton's retirement on Tuesday, saying his accomplishments were "inestimable and extraordinary".
Bratton, 68, had previously said he would not serve after 2017.
Protesters linked to the Black Lives Matter group had called for him to be fired.
On Monday, more than 100 people gathered at a New York rally to protest against what they said was racial bias by the police.
01:56 Court orders blocking of 73 'rogue websites' for indulging in piracy
The Delhi high court has ordered blocking of 73 "rogue websites" which indulged in "rank piracy", saying mere blocking of the uniform resource locator was not sufficient as it could be easily changed.
A bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and AK Pathak also said that to "block the website as a whole is justified" as these were illegally streaming "pirated" videos.
"The respondent (Star India Pvt Ltd) has placed enough material in the suit to show that the rogue websites are indulging in rank piracy and, thus prima-facie the stringent measure to block the website as a whole is justified because blocking a URL may not suffice due to the ease with which a URL can be changed, and as noted above, the number of URLs of the rogue websites range between 2 to 2026 and cumulatively would be approximately 20,000.
"It would be a gargantuan task for the respondent to keep on identifying each offending URL and especially keeping in view that as and when the respondent identifies the URL and it is blocked by the ISP (Internet Service Provider), the rogue website, within seconds can change the URL thereby frustrating the very act of blocking the URL," it said on July 29.
01:52 Email fallout: 3 Democratic National Committee resignations
The chief executive of the Democratic National Committee and two other top officials have resigned in the wake of an email hack that embarrassed the party on the eve of its presidential nominating convention.
CEO Amy Dacey, chief finance officer Brad Marshall and communications director Luis Miranda left their jobs today, the party said in a statement.
The resignations are the latest fallout from the hacked emails, which exposed an apparent lack of neutrality in the primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with some party officials disparaging Sanders.
Marshall wrote the most explosive email, questioning Sanders' Jewish faith and suggesting he could be portrayed as an atheist. He has apologized for the missive.
Earlier, party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned her position and, after being booed at a pre-convention appearance last week in Philadelphia, chose not to speak from the convention stage.
01:06 No, asteroid Bennu won't destroy Earth
NASA's new asteroid-sampling mission will do a lot of interesting things, but helping prepare humanity for Earth's imminent destruction is not among them.
There is indeed a chance that the 1,650-foot-wide asteroid Bennu -- the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch next month -- could hit Earth late in the 22nd century.
But, mission officials stressed, that chance is slim, and the space rock is not nearly big enough to pose an existential threat to the planet, despite what some media reports claimed over the weekend.
"We're not talking about an asteroid that could destroy the Earth," OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dante Lauretta, of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. "We're not anywhere near that kind of energy for an impact."
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00:25 US Air Force declares F-35A fighter jet 'combat ready'
The US Air Force today declared an initial squadron of F-35A stealth fighters as ready for combat, a major milestone for the futuristic aircraft dogged by delays and cost overruns.
The squadron of about 12 planes is based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and the planes' combat rating -- known as initial operational capability -- comes after completion of a raft of tests and training exercises.
"The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory, because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield," said General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, who heads the US Air Combat Command.
Air Force officials did not give a timeline of when the squadron might see combat, but said an overseas deployment is likely by early 2017.
"This is just the beginning, this is an interim step that will get us to what the full combat capability of the F-35 eventually will be," Carlisle said.
The US Marine Corps last year announced that an initial group of F-35Bs had attained initial operational capability, though these have not yet been used in combat.
With a price tag of nearly $400 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft -- most destined for the Air Force -- the plane, built by Lockheed Martin, is the most expensive in history.
00:10 After Indian protest, Sri Lanka alters land deal with China
Sri Lanka has withdrawn permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land being reclaimed under a $1.4 billion port project after India objected.
Instead it will grant the state-owned construction company a 99-year lease on the land next to the port in Colombo, under a new agreement.
The project is being funded by China Communications Construction Company and was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014 during a visit to Colombo.
Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests.
The reclamation represents the biggest-ever single foreign investment in Sri Lanka. It will add 269 hectares (672 acres) of real estate in the congested capital, which has a population of over 650,000.
Once completed, the Chinese will have 108 hectares (266 acres) on a 99-year lease for commercial development. Earlier, 20 hectares of that was to be on a freehold basis. Under the agreement, the Sri Lankan government will get 62 hectares (153 acres) and the rest will be public parks and access roads.
00:05 Christians did charity but also indulged in conversions: Ramdev
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has alleged that Christians did charity but also indulged in conversions while Hindus refrained from such practice.
"They do service -- run schools, colleges and hospitals, and with that they also convert. We do service including teaching yoga free of cost. But we have not changed anybody's religion but only their lives," he claimed while speaking at the inauguration of 8th Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair 2016 in Chennai on Tuesday.
He said people were often told to learn charity from Christians but lakhs of Hindu sadhus and charitable trusts were also offering such services.
He also rejected suggestions that Hinduism discriminated against anybody, especially the Dalits.
00:05 Maha report card: BJP fares better on graft; Cong MLA tops performance chart
All five Congress MLAs from Mumbai elected in the last Assembly polls have found place in the top 10 legislators who were ranked on the basis of their performance on various parameters by an NGO.
The ranking of MLAs from Mumbai, topped by a Congress legislator, has been prepared by the NGO Praja. The metropolis has 36 assembly seats, of which Congress won five in 2014.
In a significant finding, the NGO said people see the current BJP-led Government as less corrupt than administrations in the past.
The report card reflects the MLAs' performance on the basis of their attendance, questions asked in assembly, using area development funds, people's perception about their image in terms of corruption, accessibility and criminal record, among other parameters, said the NGO, which conducts data driven research on elected representatives.
Of the 36 Mumbai MLAs, Praja evaluated 31 of them and the Congress' Amin Patel came at the top. Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena) and Varsha Gaikwad occupied the second and third spots, respectively. Only two BJP MLAs featured in the top 10.
00:03 Obama, Clinton destabilised Middle East: Trump
US President Barack Obama and his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have single-handedly destabilised the Middle East and have been responsible for the growth of the Islamic State, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump alleged.
"Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilised the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi. Then they put Iran on the path to nuclear weapons," Trump, the Republican presidential nominee said in a statement.
Trump's remarks came after Obama at a White House news conference said the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president.
Trump in a hard hitting statement alleged that the Obama-Clinton duo allowed dozens of veterans to die waiting for medical care that never came.
"Our nation has been humiliated abroad and compromised by radical Islam brought onto our shores. We need change now," Trump said.
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