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Thu, 01 June 2017
Trump to announce his decision on Paris deal soon
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23:43 Trump to announce his decision on Paris deal soon
President Donald Trump has said that he will announce his decision on whether the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord on Thursday, amid strong indications he may pull out of the landmark deal isolating America in international efforts to fight global warming.
Withdrawing from the Paris agreement was one of the major campaign promises of Trump, who has previously called climate change a 'hoax' and last week brushed aside pressure from US allies during the G7 summit in Sicily to endorse the deal his predecessor Barack Obama worked passionately to achieve.
'I will be announcing my decision on Paris accord, Thursday at 3 pm (12.30 am Friday). The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,' Trump tweeted.
Two US news organisations -- Axis and CBS News -- reported that Trump had made a decision to withdraw from the deal and the administration has been informing world leaders about it.
Doing so will isolate the US as 195 countries agree on the 2015 Paris accord.
Syria and Nicaragua are the only two countries who have not signed the historic 2015 accord.
Nicaragua did not sign the deal because it apparently believed the agreement was not enough to combat climate change and would not punish those who failed to meet their voluntary pledges, while war-torn Syria was effectively internationally isolated when the accord was first signed.
Through the Paris accord, world leaders agreed in 2015 to cut carbon emissions to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5C above where they were before the Industrial Revolution.
Trump's reported decision has been criticised by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who said withdrawing from the agreement would impact of America's global standing. -- PTI
Withdrawing from the Paris agreement was one of the major campaign promises of Trump, who has previously called climate change a 'hoax' and last week brushed aside pressure from US allies during the G7 summit in Sicily to endorse the deal his predecessor Barack Obama worked passionately to achieve.
'I will be announcing my decision on Paris accord, Thursday at 3 pm (12.30 am Friday). The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,' Trump tweeted.
Two US news organisations -- Axis and CBS News -- reported that Trump had made a decision to withdraw from the deal and the administration has been informing world leaders about it.
Doing so will isolate the US as 195 countries agree on the 2015 Paris accord.
Syria and Nicaragua are the only two countries who have not signed the historic 2015 accord.
Nicaragua did not sign the deal because it apparently believed the agreement was not enough to combat climate change and would not punish those who failed to meet their voluntary pledges, while war-torn Syria was effectively internationally isolated when the accord was first signed.
Through the Paris accord, world leaders agreed in 2015 to cut carbon emissions to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5C above where they were before the Industrial Revolution.
Trump's reported decision has been criticised by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who said withdrawing from the agreement would impact of America's global standing. -- PTI
23:04 Sukhoi jet crash: Mortal remains of Squadron Leader Pankaj cremated
The mortal remains of Squadron Leader D Pankaj, one of the two pilots of the Sukhoi jet that had crashed on May 23, was cremated in Tezpur, Assam, today.
The mortal remains of Flight Lieutenant S Achudev, who was the other pilot killed in the crash, were sent to his native place in Kerala, a Defence spokesman said.
With Indian Air Force officials paying their last respects to the two pilots at the Tezpur Air Force base in Salonibari, Squadron Leader Pankaj's mortal remains were cremated at Parua under Tezpur police station, Defence Spokesman Lt Col Sombit Ghosh said.
The family -- his parents, younger brother, wife Richa and two-year-old daughter -- were present at the Air Force base, he said.
IAF officials handed over Pankaj's official documents wrapped in the national Tricolour to his wife, he said.
Pankaj's younger brother performed the last rites in the presence of IAF and Army officials.
Air Officer Commanding of Tezpur station, KVR Raju and General Officer Commanding of 4 Corps, Brig Samantray paid their last respects.
Flight Lt S Achudev's body was sent to Thiruvananthapuram where the Kerala chief minister is scheduled to pay his last respects tomorrow before it is taken to his native place Calicut, Ghosh said.
Talking to the media, AOC Raju said the black box of the crashed Sukhoi-30 has been sent for examination to find out why both the pilot were unable to eject to safety. -- PTI
IMAGE: Family members of Sqn Ldr D Pankaj at his cremation in Tezpur on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
The mortal remains of Flight Lieutenant S Achudev, who was the other pilot killed in the crash, were sent to his native place in Kerala, a Defence spokesman said.
With Indian Air Force officials paying their last respects to the two pilots at the Tezpur Air Force base in Salonibari, Squadron Leader Pankaj's mortal remains were cremated at Parua under Tezpur police station, Defence Spokesman Lt Col Sombit Ghosh said.
The family -- his parents, younger brother, wife Richa and two-year-old daughter -- were present at the Air Force base, he said.
IAF officials handed over Pankaj's official documents wrapped in the national Tricolour to his wife, he said.
Pankaj's younger brother performed the last rites in the presence of IAF and Army officials.
Air Officer Commanding of Tezpur station, KVR Raju and General Officer Commanding of 4 Corps, Brig Samantray paid their last respects.
Flight Lt S Achudev's body was sent to Thiruvananthapuram where the Kerala chief minister is scheduled to pay his last respects tomorrow before it is taken to his native place Calicut, Ghosh said.
Talking to the media, AOC Raju said the black box of the crashed Sukhoi-30 has been sent for examination to find out why both the pilot were unable to eject to safety. -- PTI
IMAGE: Family members of Sqn Ldr D Pankaj at his cremation in Tezpur on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
22:11 EC gets 14 EVMs from UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand for hacking challenge
The Election Commission has pulled out from its strong rooms in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand 14 electronic voting machines used in the recent assembly polls there for Saturday's 'EVM challenge', in which the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist will participate.
Since the two parties had not given their preference for the EVMs they would like to tamper with during the challenge, the Commission has brought to Delhi 14 machines -- from Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar in UP, Patiala and Bhatinda from Punjab and Dehradun from Uttarakhand.
While each participating party can use a maximum of four EVMs for the challenge, sources in the commission said extra machines were also kept as back up keeping in mind any eventuality.
The challengers will get four hours each to tamper with the machines.
The challenge will begin at 10 am and end at 2 pm.
Two separate counters have been set up for the CPI-M and the NCP to participate in the challenge.
Members of a technical committee which helps the EC evaluate the EVMs would judge the proceedings.
Announcing the contours of the 'EVM challenge', the EC had said it has been divided into two parts. First, the parties will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly elections in the five states were tampered with to favour a particular candidate or political party by altering the results stored in them.
The claimants will have to alter the results in the control units used during these polls in exactly the same conditions in which EVMs remain under the technical and administrative safeguards of the EC after elections.
They can use a combination of keys on EVMs or over the air communication devices such as cellphone and bluetooth to tamper with the machine to change the results, he said.
Under part two of the challenge, the participants will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly polls were manipulated before or on the poll day.
The participant would be considered to have 'failed' the challenge if the EVM stops functioning due its inbuilt anti-tampering mechanism.
Also, the challenger would be considered to have failed if it showed the result of the booth where it was used during the assembly polls even after manipulation. -- PTI
Since the two parties had not given their preference for the EVMs they would like to tamper with during the challenge, the Commission has brought to Delhi 14 machines -- from Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar in UP, Patiala and Bhatinda from Punjab and Dehradun from Uttarakhand.
While each participating party can use a maximum of four EVMs for the challenge, sources in the commission said extra machines were also kept as back up keeping in mind any eventuality.
The challengers will get four hours each to tamper with the machines.
The challenge will begin at 10 am and end at 2 pm.
Two separate counters have been set up for the CPI-M and the NCP to participate in the challenge.
Members of a technical committee which helps the EC evaluate the EVMs would judge the proceedings.
Announcing the contours of the 'EVM challenge', the EC had said it has been divided into two parts. First, the parties will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly elections in the five states were tampered with to favour a particular candidate or political party by altering the results stored in them.
The claimants will have to alter the results in the control units used during these polls in exactly the same conditions in which EVMs remain under the technical and administrative safeguards of the EC after elections.
They can use a combination of keys on EVMs or over the air communication devices such as cellphone and bluetooth to tamper with the machine to change the results, he said.
Under part two of the challenge, the participants will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly polls were manipulated before or on the poll day.
The participant would be considered to have 'failed' the challenge if the EVM stops functioning due its inbuilt anti-tampering mechanism.
Also, the challenger would be considered to have failed if it showed the result of the booth where it was used during the assembly polls even after manipulation. -- PTI
21:32 Confiscated demonetised currency can be exchanged with RBI: Centre
The Centre today informed the Kerala high court that the demonetised currencies of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, confiscated by law-enforcing agencies and produced before subordinate courts before December 30 last year, can be exchanged from the Reserve Bank of India and nationalised banks.
The Centre, along with a statement filed before the high court, also produced a copy of a notification dated May 12 issued by the Department of Economic Affairs of Ministry of Finance prescribing guidelines for exchange of confiscated notes.
According to the notification, specified bank notes which have been confiscated or seized by law-enforcement agencies or produced before a court on or before December 30, 2016 may be tendered at any specified office of the RBI or a nationalised bank designated by the RBI for deposit in a bank account or exchange.
The proceedings were initiated suo motu by the high court on the basis of queries from district court centres regarding the custody and utilisation of confiscated notes which was subsequently banned by the Union government. -- PTI
The Centre, along with a statement filed before the high court, also produced a copy of a notification dated May 12 issued by the Department of Economic Affairs of Ministry of Finance prescribing guidelines for exchange of confiscated notes.
According to the notification, specified bank notes which have been confiscated or seized by law-enforcement agencies or produced before a court on or before December 30, 2016 may be tendered at any specified office of the RBI or a nationalised bank designated by the RBI for deposit in a bank account or exchange.
The proceedings were initiated suo motu by the high court on the basis of queries from district court centres regarding the custody and utilisation of confiscated notes which was subsequently banned by the Union government. -- PTI
21:23 India to name road in Delhi after late Russian diplomat
"We are naming a road in Delhi after the late Ambassador Alexander Kadakin. He was a great friend of India," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in St Petersburg while issuing a joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kadakin, a fluent Hindi-speaking career diplomat, passed away on January 26 at a hospital in New Delhi after a brief illness.
Kadakin, 67, who served as Russia's Ambassador to New Delhi from 2009 to 2017, was credited with playing a significant role in promotion of relations between the two countries.
Kadakin, a fluent Hindi-speaking career diplomat, passed away on January 26 at a hospital in New Delhi after a brief illness.
Kadakin, 67, who served as Russia's Ambassador to New Delhi from 2009 to 2017, was credited with playing a significant role in promotion of relations between the two countries.
21:06 Modi, Putin issue joint statement; 5 pacts signed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladmir Putin issue a joint statement in St Petersburg. Five agreements have been signed between India and Russia.
Excerpts from the joint statement:
- India and Russia have a shared commitment to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
- Economies of India and Russia complement each other in energy sector. Will strive to build an 'Energy Bridge' between our states.
- Welcome cooperation among energy companies of both states in modernising existing power stations and building new ones in India.
- Welcome conclusion of general framework agreement and credit protocol for Units 5 and 6 of Kudankulam Nuclear Plant.
- Intend to further foster development of tourism and people-to-people contacts, including by easing the visa regime. -- ANI
Excerpts from the joint statement:
- India and Russia have a shared commitment to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
- Economies of India and Russia complement each other in energy sector. Will strive to build an 'Energy Bridge' between our states.
- Welcome cooperation among energy companies of both states in modernising existing power stations and building new ones in India.
- Welcome conclusion of general framework agreement and credit protocol for Units 5 and 6 of Kudankulam Nuclear Plant.
- Intend to further foster development of tourism and people-to-people contacts, including by easing the visa regime. -- ANI
20:41 Beef eating is 'anti-humanity' act: RSS leader
Those who participate in 'beef parties' should change their ways as they are bringing shame to the nation by indulging in 'anti-humanity' act, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar said on Thursday.
"Those who are doing this (beef parties) are just a few among the population of 121 crore. They do not represent the opinion of the nation. Their act is against humanity and they should change their ways," he said at a press conference in Jaipur.
He further said that by indulging in such parties, one was supporting evilness.
"Cow milk is healthier than beef. Milk is medicine while beef is prone to diseases. People should understand this and should not eat beef," Kumar said.
Hitting out at Congress, the RSS leader said the party should carry out a 'reform movement' within to survive as apolitical party.
"If the Congress does not bring about reforms, it is destined to become weaker and a marginalised party," he commented. -- PTI
IMAGE: Visuals of 'beef party' organised at at IIT-Madras.
"Those who are doing this (beef parties) are just a few among the population of 121 crore. They do not represent the opinion of the nation. Their act is against humanity and they should change their ways," he said at a press conference in Jaipur.
He further said that by indulging in such parties, one was supporting evilness.
"Cow milk is healthier than beef. Milk is medicine while beef is prone to diseases. People should understand this and should not eat beef," Kumar said.
Hitting out at Congress, the RSS leader said the party should carry out a 'reform movement' within to survive as apolitical party.
"If the Congress does not bring about reforms, it is destined to become weaker and a marginalised party," he commented. -- PTI
IMAGE: Visuals of 'beef party' organised at at IIT-Madras.
19:56 BJP leader hacked to death in Bengaluru
A Bharatiya Janata Party leader was allegedly hacked to death by a group of men near Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru, police said today.
The deceased has been identified as Harish, 40, BJP's SC/ST Yuva Morcha Anekal unit's vice president.
Police officials said the incident happened late last night when Harish was returning home after meeting friends at a bar and restaurant.
The assailants intercepted his motor cycle and threw chilli powder into his eyes before hacking him to death.
Police suspect that personal rivalry may be the cause for the murder.
Search is on for the assailants, police Harish's family and friends have expressed suspicion that he might have been killed by opponents unable to accept his political growth.
Alleging law and order has completely failed under Siddaramaiah government's four years rule, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said such attacks on BJP activists have been increasing. -- PTI
The deceased has been identified as Harish, 40, BJP's SC/ST Yuva Morcha Anekal unit's vice president.
Police officials said the incident happened late last night when Harish was returning home after meeting friends at a bar and restaurant.
The assailants intercepted his motor cycle and threw chilli powder into his eyes before hacking him to death.
Police suspect that personal rivalry may be the cause for the murder.
Search is on for the assailants, police Harish's family and friends have expressed suspicion that he might have been killed by opponents unable to accept his political growth.
Alleging law and order has completely failed under Siddaramaiah government's four years rule, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said such attacks on BJP activists have been increasing. -- PTI
19:32 CBI grills Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in money laundering case
The Central Bureau of Investigation today examined Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in connection with its probe into allegations of money laundering against him.
Jain arrived at the agency headquarters around 11 in the morning, CBI sources said.
The agency had registered a preliminary enquiry against Jain.
It is alleged that Jain was involved in money laundering to the tune of Rs 4.63 crore while being a public servant during 2015-16 through Prayas Info Solutions Private Limited, Akinchan Developers Private Limited and Managalyatan Projects Private Limited, CBI sources said.
Jain had dismissed the allegations after the Enforcement Directorate last month attached properties linked to him in the matter.
A preliminary enquiry is the first step by the CBI to gather information about the allegations.
If the agency is convinced that there exists prima facie material in the matter, it may register a regular case against the accused.
The allegations against Jain also include purported money laundering to the tune of Rs 11.78 crore during 2010-12 through these companies and Indometal Impex Pvt Limited. -- PTI.
Jain arrived at the agency headquarters around 11 in the morning, CBI sources said.
The agency had registered a preliminary enquiry against Jain.
It is alleged that Jain was involved in money laundering to the tune of Rs 4.63 crore while being a public servant during 2015-16 through Prayas Info Solutions Private Limited, Akinchan Developers Private Limited and Managalyatan Projects Private Limited, CBI sources said.
Jain had dismissed the allegations after the Enforcement Directorate last month attached properties linked to him in the matter.
A preliminary enquiry is the first step by the CBI to gather information about the allegations.
If the agency is convinced that there exists prima facie material in the matter, it may register a regular case against the accused.
The allegations against Jain also include purported money laundering to the tune of Rs 11.78 crore during 2010-12 through these companies and Indometal Impex Pvt Limited. -- PTI.
18:14 Pak says civilian killed in 'Indian firing', summons envoy
Pakistan on Thursday summoned India's deputy high commissioner in Islamabad and 'condemned the unprovoked' ceasefire violation by India along the Line of Control that killed two civilians and injured five others.
Foreign Office said in a statement that India resorted to firing in Battal, Jandrot and Kotli sectors.
"The Director General (South Asia & SAARC), Dr. MohammadFaisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J PSingh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces on June 1," it said.
One person was killed and four others injured in Battalsector, while one person was killed and another injured in Kotli sector.
The Foreign Office said the 'deliberate targeting' ofcivilians is contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws.
"The Director General urged the Indian side to respectthe 2003 ceasefire understanding; investigate this and otherincidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forcesto respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintainpeace on the LoC," it said. -- PTI
Foreign Office said in a statement that India resorted to firing in Battal, Jandrot and Kotli sectors.
"The Director General (South Asia & SAARC), Dr. MohammadFaisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J PSingh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces on June 1," it said.
One person was killed and four others injured in Battalsector, while one person was killed and another injured in Kotli sector.
The Foreign Office said the 'deliberate targeting' ofcivilians is contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws.
"The Director General urged the Indian side to respectthe 2003 ceasefire understanding; investigate this and otherincidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forcesto respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintainpeace on the LoC," it said. -- PTI
17:37 AAP to organise 'its own' EVM challenge
The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday announced that it will organise its own electronic voting machine challenge on June 3, after the Election Commission rejected the party's 'open hackathon' request.
The party will invite wizards and technical experts from political parties, the Election Commission and also the companies which provide the EVMs to the poll panel, for the challenge.
AAP's Delhi unit secretary Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party will have a 'bigger and better' EVM challenge than the one planned by the poll panel on the same day.
The machine to be tested in this exercise will be the same used by Bharadwaj in the Delhi Legislative Assembly last month to demonstrate how it can be tampered with.
The EC had called this machine a 'look-alike' and not an 'ECI-EVM'.
The ruling AAP in Delhi also took a dig at the poll body for imposing 'restrictions' in the latter's EVM challenge.
The Election Commission had recently announced the EVM challenge, calling political parties to tamper with the voting machines used in the state polls held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa recently.
This was done following doubts raised by parties like the AAP, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress over the 'reliability' of the machines after the parties' poor performances in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and Delhi civic body polls.
Only the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist have responded to the EVM challenge announced by the Commission.
In the EC's challenge, the participants -- three members per party -- would be allowed to 'physically examine' EVMs and check circuits, chips and motherboard.
However, they will not be allowed to replace any part.
The AAP had written to the Commission asking it to remove the restrictions as it 'would not be possible to tamper with the machines without giving people a free hand to do so'.
"We will organise a bigger and better EVM hackathon. Our machine is capable of getting tampered with and we have proved it. Now, let the EC hack our machines with the same kind of restrictions it has put to conduct its own challenge," Bharadwaj added. -- PTI
The party will invite wizards and technical experts from political parties, the Election Commission and also the companies which provide the EVMs to the poll panel, for the challenge.
AAP's Delhi unit secretary Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party will have a 'bigger and better' EVM challenge than the one planned by the poll panel on the same day.
The machine to be tested in this exercise will be the same used by Bharadwaj in the Delhi Legislative Assembly last month to demonstrate how it can be tampered with.
The EC had called this machine a 'look-alike' and not an 'ECI-EVM'.
The ruling AAP in Delhi also took a dig at the poll body for imposing 'restrictions' in the latter's EVM challenge.
The Election Commission had recently announced the EVM challenge, calling political parties to tamper with the voting machines used in the state polls held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa recently.
This was done following doubts raised by parties like the AAP, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress over the 'reliability' of the machines after the parties' poor performances in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and Delhi civic body polls.
Only the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist have responded to the EVM challenge announced by the Commission.
In the EC's challenge, the participants -- three members per party -- would be allowed to 'physically examine' EVMs and check circuits, chips and motherboard.
However, they will not be allowed to replace any part.
The AAP had written to the Commission asking it to remove the restrictions as it 'would not be possible to tamper with the machines without giving people a free hand to do so'.
"We will organise a bigger and better EVM hackathon. Our machine is capable of getting tampered with and we have proved it. Now, let the EC hack our machines with the same kind of restrictions it has put to conduct its own challenge," Bharadwaj added. -- PTI
17:20 Jadhav won't be executed till all mercy options exhausted: Pak
Pakistan has said that Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav will not be executed until he has exhausted all his mercy appeals.
'Irrespective of ICJ's stay, Jadhav will remain alive until he has exhausted the right to request for clemency, initially with the COAS (army chief) and later with President,' Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was quoted as saying.
He said the Indian petition at the International Court of Justice was about Jadhav's entitlement to consular access.
He termed the ICJ stay on Jadhav's hanging as 'nothing but usual'.
'Irrespective of ICJ's stay, Jadhav will remain alive until he has exhausted the right to request for clemency, initially with the COAS (army chief) and later with President,' Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was quoted as saying.
He said the Indian petition at the International Court of Justice was about Jadhav's entitlement to consular access.
He termed the ICJ stay on Jadhav's hanging as 'nothing but usual'.
17:02
JUST IN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin begin restricted meeting ahead of delegation-level summit.
16:39 Paswan undergoes heart surgery in London
Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan today underwent a heart surgery at London's Royal Brompton Hospital with his family saying it was successful and he was recovering.
"The operation was successful. He is out of ICU now. He is recovering," a family member of the 70-year-old Lok Janshakti Party chief said.
The minister has been operated upon to fix a leaky heart valve by fitting a device.
His health condition is good and will be staying in London till June 14, the family member said.
Paswan had undergone a heart surgery earlier too. He is on leave till June 14.
In his absence, the additional charge of his ministry has been given to Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. -- PTI
"The operation was successful. He is out of ICU now. He is recovering," a family member of the 70-year-old Lok Janshakti Party chief said.
The minister has been operated upon to fix a leaky heart valve by fitting a device.
His health condition is good and will be staying in London till June 14, the family member said.
Paswan had undergone a heart surgery earlier too. He is on leave till June 14.
In his absence, the additional charge of his ministry has been given to Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. -- PTI
16:20 UPDATES: These are Indian Army's 12 most wanted terrorists in Kashmir
The Indian Army has this week released a list of 12 top Jammu and Kashmir terrorists it aims to "go after".
The names were made public Tuesday, four days after Hizbul Mujahideen's Sabzar Ahmad Bhat was killed in an encounter with security forces in Tral, South Kashmir.
In another operation, the army foiled a major infiltration bid by eliminating six terrorists in the Rampur sector.
The listed terrorists are said to be locals recruited recently and predominantly operating in South Kashmir.
16:11 China vows to adhere to Paris climate deal
China will "steadfastly" implement the Paris climate pact, Premier Li Keqiang said today, urging others to do likewise as US President Donald Trump was due to announce whether he will keep Washington in the deal.
China has been investing billions in clean energy infrastructure, as its leaders seek to clear up the notorious choking pollution enveloping its biggest cities, including Beijing.
Li stressed that it was in China's own interest to stick to the climate deal.
"Once China's development reaches a certain level, it has to move to a sustainable model, that means we have to push green development," he said.
15:42 Meghalaya BJP leader quits party protesting against cattle trade rule
A BJP leader in Meghalaya has resigned from the party in protest against the Centre's new rule that bans cattle trade for slaughter. Bernard Marak, a leader from Garo hills, had created controversy earlier this week by promising cheap beef to people if the party came to power. Assembly elections in the hill state, where beef is staple, is due early next year.
"I have decided to quit the party because I am a Christian and Garo first," Marak said today. "The BJP is hurting sentiments here on the beef issue. Tribal society has its own laws. The BJP is trying to push Hindutva."
15:27 Afghanistan cancels friendly T20 matches against Pakistan
Afghanistan have cancelled proposed home and away cricket fixtures with Pakistan after a deadly bomb attack blamed by the countrys intelligence agency on militants allegedly backed by Islamabad.
Pakistan were set to play their first Twenty20 match in Kabul later this year in what was seen as an opportunity for the neighbours to ease tensions over border skirmishes and alleged proxy warfare.
The Kabul match, set for July or August, would have been followed by a fixture in Pakistan and a full series at an unspecified date.
But the Afghanistan Cricket Board issued a strongly worded statement late on Wednesday, cancelling the matches in light of a truck bombing in the citys diplomatic quarter that killed at least 90 people.
No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesdays attack, although the Taliban has denied involvement.
The ACB hereby cancel all kinds of cricket matches and initial mutual relationship agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Afghan board said on its Facebook page.
No agreement of friendly matches and mutual relationship agreement is possible with a country where terrorists are housed and provided safe havens.
Afghanistans intelligence agency has blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for the attack, which has been linked to Pakistans military in the past.
The development leaves Pakistans cricketers even more isolated in the region.
India has refused to play a full series since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, while ties with fellow Test team Bangladesh have also soured after Pakistan pulled out of a planned series in July.
Pakistani officials said they were unhappy that Bangladesh were not willing to send their team to Pakistan.
14:54 AAP will hold hackathon on same day as Election Commission
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party will hold an EVM or Electronic Voting Machine hackathon on the same day as the Election Commission's challenge for parties to prove allegations of tampering.
AAP says its "counter-hackathon" aims at proving that the Election Commission's exercise "is a farce".
"In the same conditions in which the Election Commission is holding its challenge, AAP will demonstrate its own machine, which we declare is tamperable. We are inviting political parties and all experts in the world to come," said AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Bhardwaj, who had held a live demo last month in the Delhi Assembly of tampering on a prototype, said Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi was also invited.
AAP decided to skip the Election Commission's challenge on Saturday, complaining that the rules were too restrictive and all that anyone could do was to press the buttons of any four voting machines that were used in recent state elections.
AAP says its hackathon will prove that "no machine can be tampered with by only touching buttons".
CPI-M and the Nationalist Congress Party were the only ones to apply for participation in the Election Commission's challenge.
The Commission had invited seven national parties and 49 state parties to apply for the challenge, which will be webcast live.
14:34 File returns or get registration cancelled, MHA warns NGOs
NGOs who don't submit their annual income and expenditure records by June 14 will face cancellation of their FCRA registration, the government has warned.
A large number of NGOs, registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, are yet to submit their annual returns for five years -- 2010-11 to 2014-15 -- despite being given a final opportunity to do so, the home ministry said.
"Last date for uploading annual returns for 2010-11 to 2014-15 is June 14, 2017. Failure to upload all annual returns will lead to cancellation of registration/renewal already granted," joint secretary (foreigners) in the home ministry Mukesh Mittal said in an order.
14:19 UPDATE: Dinakaran granted bail in EC bribery case
The Delhi court has granted bail to TTV Dinakaran & his aide Mallikarjun over allegedly bribing EC officials for AIADMK's two-leaves symbol.
The court granted Sasikala's nephew bail on a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh and have asked both of them -- Dinakaran & his aide Mallikarjun -- to surrender their passports.
On April 25, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) leader arrested in New Delhi for attempting to bribe an Election Commission official for retaining the party's poll symbol of 'two-leaves' for his faction.
Dinakaran, who was arrested by Delhi Police Crime Branch on April 25, sought bail on the ground that there was no reason to keep him in custody and no public servant was made an accused in the case though he was booked on graft charges.
His bail was opposed by the police which had said he had conspired with others to undermine the sanctity of the electoral process through corrupt means and practices.
13:48
JUST IN: India, Pakistan to become full members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at Astana summit next week: China.
13:28
PM Narendra Modi pays homage at Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in St Petersburg, Russia. The memorial is dedicated mostly to the victims of the Siege of Leningrad.
13:15 Restored the credibility of the economy: Arun Jaitley
On completion of the NDA government's three years in office, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressed a press conference in the national capital.
The finance minister said, "We have shown decisiveness, even the ability to take difficult decisions."
He said the government has taken key initiatives to reduce scope of corruption.
Ahead of the July rollout of the national tax GST, Jaitley said it will usher in a revolution in taxation administration.
Here are the highlights of the press conference:
>> Three years ago, there was a slowdown in policy reform
>> The perception of our economy in the world was poor
>> We had poor monsoon in the 2 of the last 3 years
>> We restored the credibility of the economy
There are three reasons for this 1) Decisiveness: the ability to take strong steps 2) We ended governmental discretion 3) The direction of growth
>> Through demonetisation, the government has created a new normal in the economy
12:38 Army chief visits Kashmir for security review
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat arrived in Srinagar today to review the security situation and operational preparedness of the armed forces posted in Kashmir and along the Line of Control.
"Gen Rawat and some senior army officers arrived at Badamibagh Cantonment area this morning for a routine day-long visit," an army official said.
He said the purpose of the army chief's visit was to review the security situation and operational preparedness in the Valley.
"The Chief of Army Staff is being briefed by Corps Commander and other top officers about the situation in the Valley, especially after killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Bhat.
"He will also be briefed about the situation along the Line of Control in the wake of reports of activity at infiltration launch pads on the other side of LoC," the official added.
12:24 MakemyTrip co-founder tweets on beef, tour operator comes under attack
Online tour operator MakeMyTrip was trolled on Twitter after one of the company's co-founders made some hard hitting comments on the Central government's new rules on cattle sale.
Keyur Joshi, who is one of the co-founders of MakeMyTrip, had expressed his displeasure on Twitter over the government's new cattle sale rules that have effectively made beef sale and consumption impossible in India.
In the tweets -- now deleted -- Joshi said: "If Hinduism takes away right to choice of food, I rather not be a Hindu. @narendramodi @BJP4India can't decide what people eat."
He also said that he is a strong supporter of the prime minister and a vegetarian for life "but will eat Beef only in India to support freedom of food".
Soon after, all hell broke lose with online trolling army attacking him and even MakeMyTrip, threatening a down-rating of the app and also uninstalling it.
The company, however, issued to a statement clarifying that Joshi was not a current employee and that the comments were Joshi's personal views.
#BoycotMakeMyTrip started trending on Twitter.
And despite Joshi apologising and deleting his account, the hate continued to spew online.
11:53 Beef fest: IIT-Madras students seek expulsion of Sooraj attackers
A day after an IIT-Madras scholar was beaten up allegedly by right-wing students for participating in a beef fest on Sunday, students of the premiere institute took out a rally in support of R Sooraj and sought expulsion of the students involved in the attack. Pro-Left student organisations staged a similar protest outside the campus.
Sooraj sustained severe injuries in his right eye after he was assaulted by a group of eight right-wing students led by Manish Kumar Singh on Wednesday afternoon for attending the beef fest.
Police have registered FIR against Manish and seven others under four sections including rioting, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation for assaulting Sooraj.
Curiously, the police also registered a FIR against Sooraj on the complaint from Manish who got himself admitted to a hospital under sections voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons and wrongful restraint.
11:39 'Falling GDP, rising unemployment': Rahul Gandhi attacks government
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Union government over the recent economic indicators that showed the countrys GDP growth to have slowed.
Falling #GDP. Rising #unemployment. Every other issue is manufactured to distract us from this fundamental failure, said Gandhi, in a post on Twitter that linked to a news article on Wednesdays announcement of GDP figures.
Data from the governments central statistics office showed an unexpected slump in the Gross Domestic Product growth that slowed to its lowest in more than two years in the March quarter. That meant India was no longer the worlds fastest growing major economy.
The annual economic growth at 6.1% in the January-March period was lower than the lowest analyst estimate of 6.5% in a Reuters poll.
It was also lower than Chinas growth of 6.9% for the first three months of 2017.
Rahul Gandhis Congress, the arch-rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party has routinely accused the government of trying to ignore serious issues.
11:16 UPDATE: Ramachandra Guha resigns as BCCI administrator
Historian Ramachandra Guha, one of the administrators of the BCCI, has resigned from the post.
Guha told the Supreme Court on Thursday that he has tendered his resignation to Vinod Rai, the Chairman of the Committee of Administrators appointed by the apex court. He reportedly tendered his resignation on Sunday.
The historian has reportedly cited personal reasons for the resignation.
Guha was appointed by the Supreme Court on January 30, 2017 after the BCCI was reluctant to implement the Lodha panel report.
The Supreme Court will hear Ramachandra Guhas plea to relieve him on July 14.
10:35 Karti returns from London
Karti Chidambaram, who is under CBI investigation for an alleged bribery and corruption case, today returned from London.
Airport sources said Karti arrived by a British Airways flight around 4 am.
He had left for London on May 18 on what his father described as a scheduled trip.
"Karti is travelling as per earlier travel plans. He will return after a few days. There is no ban on his travel," his father and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said.
The CBI on May 16 had carried out searches at Karti's homes and offices in four cities to probe charges that he had received money from a media firm owned by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea to help them evade a tax probe.
Karti Chidambaram has denied all the charges made against him.
The CBI had filed an FIR against Karti and the Mukerjeas on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.
It alleged that Karti received money from INX Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board conditions for an investment from Mauritius.
10:30 Hours of trekking led army to bodies of crashed Sukhoi jet pilots
Over a week after a Sukhoi-30 fighter plane of the Indian Air Force crashed near the border in Arunachal Pradesh, the bodies of its two pilots have been found and brought to an air force station in Assam.
The Air Force declared Squadron Leader D Pankaj and Flight Lieutenant S Achudev dead yesterday, after days of searches in the forests where the jet crashed, approximately 60 km from Assam's Tezpur Air Base.
Sources said that the army trekked down the terrain, creating a path several hundred feet downward from the crash site and found the bodies.
The pilots could not eject at the time of the crash, reveals an analysis of the jet's Flight Data Recorder and some other articles recovered from the crash site.
The wreckage was found on May 26 through an aerial recce. Search and rescue teams on Tuesday found a blood-stained shoe, a half-burnt PAN card and a wallet of one of the pilots.
10:08 Beef party to toast Modi@3
A BJP leader in Meghalaya has announced a beef party to celebrate three years of the Narendra Modi government, prompting the party to threaten to sack him on a day it struggled to cope with a snowballing issue by clarifying that states can have their own laws on cattle slaughter that echo "local habits".
Read full HERE
09:51 Sushma comes to aid of ailing Pak child
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj came to the rescue of a Pakistani man who was unable to get a medical visa for the treatment of his infant.
Swaraj assured the Pakistani national that Indian authorities will assist him with the process after the man, identified as a civil engineer living in Lahore according to his Twitter bio, in a tweet questioned Swaraj and Pakistan Foreign Affairs Minister Sartaz Aziz that why his child had to suffer because of sour relations between the two nations.
"Why my bud suffers for medical treatment!! Any answers Sir Sartaaj Azeez or Ma'am Sushma??," tweeted @KenSid2.
To this, the Indian minister replied with a tweet, "No. The child will not suffer. Pls contact Indian High Commission in Pakistan. We will give the medical visa.."
09:37 PeeCee deletes Holocaust memorial selfies after being schooled on Twitter
Actress Priyanka Chopra offended two separate sets of folks with two separate sets of social media posts while in Berlin, where she was promoting her Hollywood debut Baywatch.
One -- the easily shocked were outraged that she wore a short dress to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was serendipitously in Berlin on the same day. Two -- she posted selfies with brother Siddharth from the Holocaust Memorial.
At the Holocaust memorial, a prime attraction in the city, which Chopra visited with her brother Siddharth, she took selfies with him and posted them on Instagram. These images soon attracted criticism on Twitter, with many calling them tone-deaf and insensitive. Several users felt it was disrespectful to pose for something as frivolous as a selfie at such a grim monument.
One Twitter user wrote, "@priyankachopra I used to think of you as a sensible person till I saw your posted selfies at holocaust memorial."
Soon after the criticism, the images disappeared from her feed.
PLEASE READ: Priyanka in Berlin: Baywatch babe and troll slayer
09:13 Trump's press secretary reveals the real meaning of 'Covfefe'
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had an eyebrow-raising explanation for a curious tweet sent by US President Donald Trump that featured a nonsense word.
Trump tweeted covfefe late Tuesday night, seemingly attempting to write the word coverage in a tweet critical of the press.
He eventually deleted the tweet and joked about the meaning of the made-up word, telling his followers to Enjoy!
But when asked about the implications of the presidents late-night tweeting, Spicer refused to admit the word was an innocent human error, instead commenting that the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.
08:24
JUST IN: Pakistani troops violate ceasefire along LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts; open heavy mortar shelling
08:23 Eiffel Tower to go dark for Kabul bombing victims
The lights at the Eiffel Tower will be switched off tonight to honour the scores of victims from the huge truck bomb that struck Afghanistan's capital, the Paris mayor said.
"The Eiffel Tower will again go dark from midnight tonight to show Paris's solidarity with Kabul," Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a Twitter post.
"After Baghdad, Kabul has been the victim of a barbaric attack. Solidarity and thoughts for the victims and their loved ones," she wrote.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack which struck Kabul's diplomatic quarter today at rush hour, which left at least 90 people dead and hundreds more wounded.
Paris regularly dims the Eiffel Tower, an emblem of the city, to show its solidarity with victims of terror attacks.
07:56 2 terrorists killed in Sopore encounter
Two terrorists who were holed up in a house at Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district were killed in an encounter with security forces.
An army official said operations are still continuing in the area.
Security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Natipora area of Sopore around 3:30 am after receiving information about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.
During the searches, the two terrorists opened fire on the forces, triggering the gun-battle, he said.
01:04 Centre says Netaji died in air crash; grandnephew seeks SIT probe
Rejecting the Centre's statement on the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his grandnephew Chandra Bose on Wednesday demanded setting up a special investigation team to unravel the mystery of Netaji's disappearance.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died in an air crash in 1945, the central government said on Wednesday, putting to an end a controversy that refuses to be buried about the freedom fighter having survived the accident.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a reply to an RTI application from a Kolkata resident that the government had come to this conclusion after considering the reports of various committees that probed the death of Bose, who, many believed, had not perished in the crash.
"I demand the central government immediately take action against the officer who gave such an irresponsible reply. How can the government come to a conclusion regarding Netaji's death without concrete evidence?" Bose, vice-president of the Bengal BJP unit, said.
"The Central government should apologise for such misleading statements and form an SIT to unravel the mystery of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's disappearance," he said.
The RTI query was filed by Sayak Sen, convener of Open Platform for Netaji, under the Right To Information Act to the Home Ministry about the whereabouts of Netaji post August 18, 1945.
He also sought to know how many files were declassified by the MHA and how many were yet to be declassified besides the information about one Gumnami Baba living in Uttar Pradesh in the 80s.
On the question of Gumnami Baba, the RTI reply said, 'Some information regarding Gumnami Baba and Bhagwanji is available in the Mukherjee Commission report on page 114-122...The Mukherjee Commission had come to the conclusion that Gumnami Baba/Bhagwanji was not Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Ministry of Home Affairs has declassified all available files (37) relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.'
Netaji had gone missing in 1945 and some of his family members had rejected the report of his death in a plane crash in Taihoku airport in Taiwan on August 18 that year.
In October, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the family members of Netaji and announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader.
Last year, on Netaji's 119th birth anniversary on January 23, as many as 100 secret files were made public by Modi. -- PTI
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