The Press Club of India on Saturday said it supports the decision of the Entertainment Journalists Guild to boycott actor Kangana Ranaut for refusing to apologise for lashing out at a PTI reporter during a press conference.

 

Members of the Press Club of India said in a statement that they are anguished and shocked at the incident and condemned Ranaut's behaviour and language towards PTI journalist Justin Rao. 

"We the Press Club of India are aghast, anguished and shocked at the incident involving an actress of Bollywood using uncivilised, uncultured, filthy and abusive language against the media persons. We condemn it in the strongest possible words. This behaviour and hurling abuses towards journalists is unacceptable. 

"We support the decision of the boycott by the journalists covering the entertainment industry in Mumbai namely Entertainment Journalists Guild," the statement read. 

On Friday, the Mumbai Press Club had also condemned Ranaut's behaviour towards the news media, particularly the PTI journalist. 

In a release it said, Ranaut accused the journalist of running a "smear campaign" against her and her last release "Manikarnika".

Instead of making amends, the release added, Rangoli Chandel, Ranaut's sister and manager, launched an "abusive" attack against news media on Twitter.

While "JudgeMentall Hai Kya" producer Ekta Kapoor apologised for the incident, Ranaut has refused to do so.

"The Entertainment Journalists' Guild, which first raised the issue, has pointed out that this is not the first time Ms Ranaut and her manager-sister have insulted and abused journalists. It has become part of their unprofessional conduct," the release said.

The Mumbai Press Club said it stands by Entertainment Journalists' Guild's demand of an apology from Ranaut to Justin Rao and the other journalists for her behaviour.  

The Press Club of India also extended their support to the Mumbai Press Club for undertaking thorough enquiry of the matter.

"The Press Club of India wish to appeal to the saner and civilised members of the Bollywood to prevail upon these uncivilised, uncultured and unruly elements and entities of their industry. We hope and expect that the sanity and wisdom will prevail," the statement further read.

The Uttar Pradesh State Accredated Correspondents Committee has also expressed anger over the incident and demanded an unconditional apology from the actor.

On July 7, Ranaut had accused Rao of writing negatively about her film "Manikarnika".

The journalist denied the allegations and the actor's claim that he personally messaged her and spent three hours in her vanity van. He said he met the actor briefly for an interview and there were no personal messages.   

On Thursday, Ranaut posted a video saying that she would not apologise. -- PTI 

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukul Roy on Saturday claimed that nearly 107 MLAs, a majority of them from the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, are in touch with the saffron party and are likely to join it "very soon".

 

Several TMC leaders, both at the state and district levels, have lost confidence in the Mamata Banerjee-led party and are fed up with the way it is functioning, he told a group of reporters in Kolkata.

"Nearly 107 MLAs are in touch with us. Majority of them are from the TMC. Few are from the Congress and the CPI-M. They are willing to join the saffron camp very soon," Roy said.

He, however, did not provide any further details.

Roy's comments comes amid several TMC councillors returning to the party after switching to the BJP.

Since the Lok Sabha poll results, in which the BJP won 18 out of the 42 parliamentary seats in the state, six TMC MLAs and one each from the Congress and the CPI-M switched to the saffron party.

Roy, a former TMC leader who joined the saffron camp in 2017 following differences with Banerjee, also mocked the Trinamool Congress over it appointing political strategist Prashant Kishor.

"The appointment of Prashant Kishor is an ample evidence that the TMC has lost confidence in the so called charisma of Mamata Banerjee. That is why it needs a political strategist to save its sinking ship," he said.

Kishor recently held a series of meetings with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee over the TMC's performance in the Lok Sabha polls and on the ways to revive it ahead of the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls. -- PTI 

The first Rafale fighter jet will be delivered to the Indian Air Force in September 2019 as per schedule, a top government official said on Saturday. 

 

Rafale fighter jets, manufactured by France-based Dassault Aviation, are twin-engine multi-role fighter aircraft. These are nuclear capable and can engage in both air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks.

 

The first Rafale fighter jet will be delivered in September, Ajay Kumar, secretary to the department of defence production, said.  

French Ambassador to India, Alexandre Ziegler had early this month assured that the first Rafale fighter aircraft will be delivered within two months and will be "perfectly on time".  

All the 36 Rafale jets will be delivered to the Indian Air Force within the next two years, he said.

The Rafale deal has drawn flak from the Opposition which has alleged widespread corruption in the contract.  

Asked about the Rafale offset partner issue, Kumar said, "It will be done as per the rules." 

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of Bharat Chamber Defence Facilitation Centre in Kolkata.

Welcoming the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission-drafted bill against lynching, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Saturday pitched for a stringent, pan-India legislation to arrest the spread of this "dreadful disease".

   

In a statement issued by the BSP, Mayawati said, "Mob lynching has emerged as a dreadful disease (bhayanak bimari) across the country, and the loss of lives in it is a matter of serious concern."

 

"In this regard, there is a strong need for a strigent countrywide law, but the Centre's approach towards it is lackadaisical," she said.

 

She welcomed the submission of a draft Bill by the UP Law Commission in this regard, which recommended up to life imprisonment for the crime.

 

Taking cognisance of incidents of mob lynching, including those by cow vigilantes, the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission on Wednesday submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath the draft Bill recommending up to life imprisonment for the crime.

 

"This disease is a gift of the intention (niyat) and policy (niti) of the governments of not allowing to establish the rule of law. As a result, not only the Dalits, tribals or the religious minorities, but even the people from all sections of the society and police are also becoming a victim to it," Mayawati said.

 

"In this situation, the submission of a draft Bill by the UP Law Commission, recommending up to life imprisonment for the crime is welcoming," she added.

 

Giving a piece of advice to the BJP, Mayawati said, "Along with drafting strong laws, the BJP will have to develop a strong willpower like the BSP, to strictly enforce the laws. Only then will this disease will be curbed." -- PTI  

This is Halep's second Grand Slam.

The ISRO is all set for the country's prestigious lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, and all preparations are going on for its launch on July 15, the space agency's chairman K Sivan said on Saturday.

       

It is the Indian Space Research Organisation's first mission to land on any celestial body and a follow-up to Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008.

       

The objective of the mission is to take up a detailed study on understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon, according to ISRO.

       

"All preparations for Chandrayaan-2 are going on for the launch scheduled at 2.51 am on July 15 from Sriharikota," Sivan told reporters after offering prayers at the Lord Venkateswara hill shrine at Tirumala, near Tirupati.

        

The ISRO had earlier said all three modules of the moon mission -- Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan) -- were getting ready for the launch and the lander was expected to touch down on the lunar surface in early September.

       

In a brief interaction, Sivan, also the secretary, department of space, said the lander would make a soft landing in the lunar South Pole , an uncharted territory so far, on September 6.

        

He ruled out rains posing a threat to the launch.         

"There will be no effect since the launch vehicle (GSLVMkIII) is rain protected," he told reporters amid a downpour in Tirupati.

       

The Chandrayaan-2 would be carried by the GSLVMkIII, dubbed 'Fat Boy' by Indian scientists for its ability to carry satellites weighing upto 4-tonnes.         

Asked about the total mission cost of Chandrayaan-2, Sivan said it was Rs 1,000 Crore.

        

About the 'Gaganyaan' project, India's maiden human spaceflight programme, he said it was progressing and the first unmanned mission would be taken up in December 2020.

      

"Currently, design phase has been completed. Realisation phase is going on," he said. -- PTI

The repair work that began a few days ago on one of the four minarets of the iconic Taj Mahal will be completed by September 15, ahead of the World Tourism Day, officials said.

 

Amar Nath Gupta, conservation assistant, supervising the repairs told PTI that speedy completion of the minaret with perfection will be ensured.

 

Some stones are to be replaced and the black stone linings fixed, he said, adding there was no tilt or danger to the minaret.

 

Nam Dev, in-charge of the Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument to love, said work at the minaret has started and the scaffolding was being erected.

 

Earlier, ASI chief of Northern circle Vasant Swarnkar had said it was "not a routine repair work but a specialised one".

 

Reports had said that the stone slabs of the stairs were damaged and needed replacement. The iron clamps too had rusted.

 

Meanwhile, tourist guides at the Taj Mahal expressed concern over the return of the green bacteria that had proliferated in the polluted waters of the river Yamuna, which remains mostly dry.

 

Patches of green were discernible on the surface of the mausoleum at the rear side facing Yamuna.

 

The World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27.  

Photograph: PTI Photo

Singer Ed Sheeran has tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Cherry Seaborn.

 

It was reported in February that Sheeran, 28, and Seaborn, 27, got married in a low-key ceremony at their home in December in Suffolk, England.

However, there was no official confirmation from the singer's side at the time.

But on Friday, the British pop star made the revelation in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God while promoting his new album 'No 6 Collaborations Project'.

The presenter asked Sheeran about the lyrics of his song "Remember the Name",  featuring Eminem and 50 Cent, where he sings: "Watch how the lyrics in this song might get twisted / My wife wears red but looks better without the lipstick."

"It was actually before me and Cherry got married and I knew that we'd be married by the point that the song came out," the singer said.

"(I thought) Someone's gonna hear that and be like: 'Oh, they're married!' I didn't know how that would be construed, but obviously it's already come out," he added.

According to E! online, the couple's wedding was attended by close friends and family members. They had announced their engagement in December 2017.

The duo were childhood friends who attended school together in Suffolk, but became romantically involved years later. -- PTI 

The Bharatiya Janata Party will press Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to seek trust vote in the Assembly on Monday, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said on Saturday.

   

The former chief minister asserted that the Congress-Janata Dal-Secular coalition government has lost majority and its collapse was imminent.

 

In a surprise move amid the existential crisis faced by his government, Kumaraswamy had on Friday announced in the state Assembly that he had voluntarily decided to seek a trust vote to end the "confusion" caused by resignations of rebel MLAs and requested the Speaker to fix time for the same.

 

Yeddyurappa said Saturday that the chief minister "must move the confidence motion Monday itself".

 

"Monday morning at Business Advisory Committee meeting we will advise that Chief Ministers commitment should be fulfilled," he said.

 

According to sources, at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Friday Kumaraswamy had proposed that the trust vote be held on Wednesday.

 

However, no decision was taken as the principal opposition BJP did not attend the meeting.

 

The coalition government, which has been shaky since it came into being last year after a post-poll arrangement in the wake of a hung verdict, is facing a serious crisis now with 16 MLAs -- 13 of the Congress and three of the JD-S -- resigning their assembly membership. -- PTI

Outgoing deputy chief minister of Goa, Vijai Sardesai, on Saturday said the induction of ten MLAs of the Congress into the BJP was the "death of the legacy" of late chief minister Manohar Parrikar, the tallest saffron leader in the coastal state credited for forming the coalition government in 2017 by bringing together regional parties.

The Congress in Goa suffered a body blow on Wednesday when 10 of its 15 MLAs switched over to the BJP, a development that raised the ruling stock in the 40-member House to 27.

Subsequently, chief minister Pramod Sawant dropped four ministers -- three of the Goa Forward Party, including Sardesai, and one Independent -- from his cabinet.

"Parrikar died twice...once on March 17 physically while today it is the death of his political legacy," Sardesai told a gathering held near Parrikar memorial at Miramar.

Meanwhile, Sardesai also announced that the Goa Forward Party was "withdrawing" its support to the BJP-led government.

He alleged that the ruling government wanted to finish Parrikar's legacy, which won't be allowed.

"We supported the Pramod Sawant government because I had given my word to Parrikar that the support to the government will continue in any circumstances. We now feel cheated and ditched by the NDA," he said.

Sardesai reiterated that he had not received any communication from Central leaders of the BJP.

"The central leadership of the BJP has lost its face. The NDA has ditched their partners," he said. -- PTI 

Pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath was suspended for Saturday as a precautionary measure in view of a separatists-sponsored strike in the Kashmir valley on Martyrs' Day, officials said.

   

As many as 12 batches of pilgrims have so far left for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir valley from Jammu since the beginning of the pilgrimage on June 30.

 

"Amarnath yatra has been suspended from Jammu as a precautionary measure in wake of the strike called by separatists in Kashmir valley Saturday," an official said. 

 

July 13 is observed as Martyrs' Day in Kashmir. 

On this day in 1931, 22 people were killed in firing by the forces of Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. 

 

Separatists have called for a shutdown as a mark of respect to those killed in the firing. 

 

On July 8, the pilgrimage was suspended as a precautionary measure in view of the third death anniversary of former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

 

Due to the strike, normal life was severely affected in the valley as shops and other business establishments remained closed, while public transport remained off roads, the officials said.

 

They said some private vehicles, however, were plying in intra-city and inter-district routes of Kashmir. 

 

Over 1.50 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine in the last 12 days of the Amarnath yatra. -- PTI

Days after 10 Congress MLAs in Goa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday reshuffled his cabinet, dropping three members of ally Goa Forward Party and an Independent legislator as ministers.

 

Michael Lobo, who resigned as the deputy speaker of Goa legislative assembly, and three of the 10 MLAs who had earlier this week joined the BJP -- Chandrakant Kavlekar, Jeniffer Monserratte, Philip Neri Rodrigues -- were sworn in as new ministers.

 

Goa governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in the afternoon.

 

Prior to the swearing-in, the chief minister issued a notification, dropping all three Goa Forward Party ministers -- deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai, water resources minister Vinod Palyekar, rural development minister Jayesh Salgaonkar -- and Independent MLA and revenue minister Rohan Khaunte from the cabinet to accommodate the new members.

 

Ten Congress MLAs had Wednesday joined the BJP, increasing the strength of the party to 27 in the 40-member House.

 

Strengthened by their support, Sawant decided to drop the GFP, a regional party that was instrumental in forming the Manohar Parrikar-led government in 2017.

 

This is the second cabinet reshuffle by Sawant since he took over as the chief minister three months ago.  -- PTI

Five more Karnataka Congress MLAs moved the Supreme Court on Saturday, contending they had resigned "voluntarily" and that their resignation must be accepted by the assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.

The petition, filed by Anand Singh, K Sudhakar, N Nagaraju, Munirathna and Roshan Baig of the Congress party, has sought a direction to the speaker to not proceed with the application for their disqualification.

The legislators also claimed that there was no disqualification proceeding against them when they resigned.

"The disqualification proceedings are being used to threaten and intimidate the MLAs. On one hand, the speaker is not acting upon the resignation and on the other, a whip has been issued threatening disqualification for failure to attend the legislature proceeding starting July 12," the petition stated.

The rebel MLAs said that when some of the applicants submitted their resignation on July 10, they were manhandled in the assembly and were confined.

"They were rescued by the police personnel from the legislative assembly," the plea said.

The plea also submitted that their resignations were in "accordance with Rule 202 of the Rules of Procedure and the Conduct of Business of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly."

On Friday, the Supreme Court took up the petitions of 10 dissident MLAs and directed the speaker to maintain the status quo on their resignation and disqualification till July 16. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September this year, government sources said on Saturday.

The United Nations, in a statement issued on Friday, said that the 74th session of the UNGA will commence on September 17, 2019.

No official announcement about the trip has been made yet. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the special meeting, sources added.

It should be noted that this year the Prime Minister will address the UNGA for the second time, his first being in September 2014 after he came to power for the first time. Since then, the UNGA meetings were attended by former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. -- ANI

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday skipped the official function at the Martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar and instead deputed his advisor for paying homage to the people killed in firing by forces of Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh on this day in 1931.

   

Malik's predecessor N N Vohra had also skipped the official function last year but did pay homage to the martyrs of 1931 in 2017.

 

However, Malik in his Friday's message on the eve of Martyrs' Day called for collective efforts from all sections of the society to secure rapid growth and development of the state on all fronts.

 

The governor said Jammu and Kashmir has always been known for its glorious pluralistic ethos and harmony and emphasised the crucial importance of maintaining unity and brotherhood for ushering the state towards peace and prosperity.

 

Governor Malik's advisor Khursheed Ahmad Ganai on Saturday laid floral wreaths on the graves of the 22 people who were killed in firing while protesting against the autocratic rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.

 

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, senior PDP leader A R Veeri and Congress leader Peerzada Sayeed were among the host of mainstream politicians who paid homage to the martyrs.

 

Separatist leaders including moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaz Umar Farooq were placed under house arrest to prevent them from visiting the graveyard.

 

The separatists have called for a shutdown as a mark of respect to the martyrs' of 1931 and to press for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

 

Authorities have imposed restrictions on the movement of people in the old city as a precautionary measure for maintaining law and order, officials said.

 

Normal life in the valley was severely affected due to the separatist-sponsored strike as shops and other business establishments remained closed while public transport remained off the roads, the officials said.

 

They said some private vehicles, however, could be seen plying various intra-city and inter-district routes of Kashmir. -- PTI 

Any misadventure by Pakistan Army will be repelled with punitive response and no act of terror will go unpunished, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday.

   

Speaking at an event on '20 Years after Kargil Conflict', Rawat said Pakistan Army, time and again, resorts to misadventure, either through state-sponsored terrorism or intrusions in India.

 

"The Indian armed forces stand resolute and ready to defend our territorial integrity. Let there be no doubt that misadventures will be repelled with a punitive response," he said.

 

The rise of non-state actors and the readiness to use terror and other irregular methods of fighting have become a new norm, he said. 

 

Addition of cyber and space domain has changed the battlefield scenario, the Army chief noted.

 

Rawat also asserted that no act of terror will go unpunished. "Surgical strikes post-Uri and Balakot (terror attacks) have amply demonstrated our political and military resolve against terror. Any act of terror will not go unpunished," Rawat added. -- PTI

Ahead of a reshuffle of the state cabinet, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant dropped four ministers -- three of the Goa Forward Party and one Independent -- from his cabinet on Saturday.

   

A notification to this effect was issued in the afternoon.

 

According to the notification, the four ministers -- deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai, water resources minister Vinod Palyekar, rural development minister Jayesh Salgaonkar (all GFP MLAs) and revenue minister Rohan Khaunte (independent) -- were dropped from the cabinet.

 

They would be replaced with Michael Lobo, who resigned as deputy speaker of assembly earlier in the day, and three of the 10 MLAs, who switched over to the BJP from the Congress on Wednesday.

 

Lobo said apart from him, Chandrakant Kavlekar, Jeniffer Monserratte and Philip Nery Rodrigues would be a part of the new cabinet.

 

Taleigao MLA Jeniffer Monserratte is the wife of Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserratte. Earlier there were speculations that he would be inducted into the cabinet.

 

Lobo said, "Atanasio Monserratte refused to take up the ministerial berth and instead requested the chief minister to make his wife a part of the cabinet."

 

The swearing-in ceremony of new ministers is scheduled to be held at 3 pm. -- PTI 

Five people were killed in a massive fire at a factory in New Delhi on Saturday.

 

The fire broke out at the hardware factory in Shahdara's Jhilmil industrial area around 9 am, according to fire officials.

 

According to the fire officials, the information about the blaze was received at 9.25 am and 31 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.  

Rebel Congress MLA MTB Nagaraj on Saturday hinted at reconsidering his resignation after holding a meeting with party leader DK Shivakumar.

"Situation was such that we submitted our resignations, but now DK Shivakumar and others came and requested us to withdraw resignations, I will speak to K Sudhakar Rao and then see what is to be done, after all, I have spent decades in Congress," Congress MLA and state minister MTB Nagaraj said after a meeting at his residence.

Hoskote MLA Nagaraj and Chikballapur Congress MLA Dr K Sudhakar have resigned from the assembly on July 10.

While Nagaraj made no clear announcement of taking back resignation, the same was affirmed by Shivakumar who announced the same while speaking to media outside Nagaraj's residence.

"We should live together and die together because we have worked for 40 years for the party. There are ups and downs in every family. We should forget everything and move forward. Happy that MTB Nagaraj has assured us that he will stay with us," Shivakumar told media persons.

Despite tendering their resignations, both Nagaraj and Sudhakar are still members of legislative assembly as their resignations have yet not been accepted by the speaker. -- ANI

    

Lobo submitted his resignation to Speaker Rajesh Patnekar at noon.

 

"I resigned from the post as I will be inducted into the cabinet later in the day," Lobo said.

 

Apart from Lobo, Chandrakant Kavlekar, Philip Nery Rodrigues, Atanasio Monserratte, who had quit the Congress and joined the BJP Wednesday, would be sworn in as ministers at Raj Bhavan in the afternoon.

 

The swearing-in ceremony of new ministers is scheduled to be held at 3 pm.

 

Sawant would induct the new members into his cabinet by dropping three members of ally Goa Forward Party and an Independent legislator as ministers. -- PTI 

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said there has been no intrusion by the Chinese in Ladakh's Demchok sector.

   

"There is no intrusion," Rawat said on the sidelines of an event.

 

His statement comes amidst reports of Chinese soldiers crossing the Line of Actual Control last week after some Tibetans hoisted Tibetan flags on the occasion of Dalai Lama's birthday on July 6.

 

"Chinese come and patrol to their perceived Line of Actual Control...we try and prevent them. But at times there are celebrations that take place at the local levels. Celebrations were going on our side by our Tibetans in the Demchok sector. Based on that, some Chinese also came to see what was happening. But there has been no intrusions. Everything is normal," the army chief said. 

 

India and China share a disputed border and the armies of the two countries were engaged in a stand-off for 73 days in 2017 in Doklam. -- PTI  

India skipper Virat Kohli has lent his support to Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers after the retired South African great broke his silence on his recent controversy.

   

The Indian captain described de Villiers, who was criticised for picking and choosing international assignments after announcing his retirement last year, as the "most honest and committed" person.

"My brother you are the most honest and committed man I know. It's been unfortunate to see this happen to you. But know that we stand with you and believe in you," Kohli wrote on de Villiers Instagram.

 

"Seeing people enter your personal space has been sad to see and uncalled for. More love and power to you and your beautiful family. Me and Anushka are Always here for you guys," he added. 

 

In the middle of South Africa's disastrous World Cup campaign, a media report had claimed that the former Proteas captain had offered to come out of retirement a day before the squad was to be picked for the mega-event but the team management rejected it. 

 

However, de Villiers, in a detailed statement on Friday, finally broke his silence on the controversy surrounding his international comeback, which never happened, saying he did not demand to come out of retirement at the 11th hour before the World Cup but was privately asked whether he was open to play the 50-over showpiece.

 

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also chimed in his support for the 35-year-old on Instagram.

"My dear friend and legend, your one of the nicest guys i've ever played cricket with an absolute gem of a person! There was never a chance for SA in this World Cup to win without you! It is your country's loss not to have you in the squad not yours. The bigger the player more the criticism! We all know what a gentleman you are," Yuvraj wrote. -- PTI 

A massive fire broke out at a factory in Shahdara's Jhilmil area on Saturday, officials said.

   

Casualties are feared in the incident, the fire department said.

 

According to the fire officials, the information about the blaze was received at 9.25 am and 31 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

 

Further details are awaited. -- PTI  

The Federal Trade Commission has reportedly voted to approve fining Facebook roughly $5 billion (Rs 34,280 crore) to settle an investigation into the companys privacy violations that was launched following the Cambridge Analytica revelations.

The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, both citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, reported Friday afternoon that the settlement was approved by a 3-2 vote that broke along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. The justice department is expected make a final approval of the fine.

Facebook and the FTC declined to comment.

The FTCs investigation was launched in March 2018 after the Guardian revealed that the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly obtained the private information of more than 50m Facebook users. Facebook had agreed under a 2012 consent decree stemming from a previous FTC investigation into privacy concerns to better protect user privacy. The investigation centered on whether this decree had been violated.

The $5bn fine would be the largest ever levied by the FTC against a technology company, and the largest ever against any company for a privacy violation.

A sharp improvement in rainfall since end-June has narrowed the shortfall from 33 per cent to only 12 per cent. It has also improved the water levels in 91-odd reservoirs across the country, especially in Maharashtra.

However, the rainfall deficiency could widen again as the monsoon is expected to go for a break in central and western parts of the country over the next few weeks. It will gain strength again in July end. Sowing of kharif crops, too, has improved and the total acreage covered so far (till July 12) was 41.33 million hectares, which is 8.61 per cent lower than the area covered in the same period last year and 7.43 per cent less than the average area covered during the same period in the last five years.

Till last week, this difference between the area covered under kharif crops this year as compared to last year was 27 per cent. This was 37 per cent less than last five years acreage.

According to the Central Water Commission, water level in 91-odd reservoirs across the country was 35.1 billion cubic meters as of July 11. This is 5.69 per cent less than the storage level during the same period last year. In early July, reservoirs had about 26.94 BCM, almost 17.31 BCM less than the corresponding period of 2018.

The worry now is whether or not the levels can be sustained if the rains go for a break. Till July 11, India received 230 millimeters of rainfall, 12 per cent less than normal. So far this year, 53 districts in the country have got deficient rainfall since the monsoon started in June. This is the worst monsoon since 2014, when 70 per cent of the country had got below-normal rain till July 9.

The shortfall is more than 30 per cent in Marathwada, Telangana, Rayalseema, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, along with some parts of east India. The monsoon entered the country late this year. It progress across the peninsula was slow because of Cyclone Vayu.

The Army has been called for assistance in Assam as the flood situation in the state worsened with the toll rising to six and affecting nearly 8.7 lakh people across 21 districts.

Officials said the army's assistance was sought in Baksa district to aid the personnel of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force in rescuing marooned people.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority officials said three more persons died in rain and flood-related incidents in Golaghat and Dima Hasao districts on Friday. While two persons died in the flood at Bokakhat revenue circle in Golaghat, one died in landslide in Haflong in Dima Hasao district.

It said about 8.7 lakh persons have been hit by the deluge in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Morigaon, Hojai, Nagaon, Golaghat, Majuli, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

The state has a total of 33 districts and till yesterday three persons had died in floods and around 4.23 lakh people were affected in 17 districts.

Barpeta is the worst hit with 3.5 lakh people affected, followed by Dhemaji where 1.2 lakh people are hit. They are followed by Bongaigaon where the number of affected is 62,500, ASDMA said.

Massive erosions have taken place at various places in Chirang, Barpeta and Baksa due to the floods, which has submerged a total 1,556 villages and damaged 27,864.16 hectares of crop area, embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure in the affected districts.

The authorities are running 68 relief camps and distribution centres in 11 districts, where 7,643 people are taking shelter currently, ASDMA said.

The army, NDRF and SDRF have rescued 1,160 persons in the state since Thursday and have distributed 1,281.35 quintals of rice, dal, salt and 1,493.46 litres of mustard oil, besides tarpaulin, water pouch, sanitary napkins, baby food and other essential items.

Currently, Brahmaputra is flowing above its danger-mark at Guwahati, at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur and at Goalpara and Dhubri towns, it said.

Multiple related-party contracts between IndiGo and promoter Rahul Bhatias InterGlobe Enterprises have been questioned by co-promoter Rakesh Gangwal. In a sealed letter to market regulator Sebi, Gangwal has listed the agreements, accusing that they were entered without approval from the audit committee.

InterGlobe has, however, dismissed the claims, saying Gangwal has not provided any evidence supporting the charges. Bhatia and Gangwal, who together founded IndiGo in 2005, are at loggerheads accusing each other of fraud.

Taking a jibe at Gangwals labelling of IndiGo as paan ki dukaan (betel shop), Bhatia said there was no abuse of rights, and Gangwals proposal for convening an extraordinary general meeting was rejected on the basis of a legal opinion obtained by the board.

Corporate governance is not about levelling baseless charges. Mr. Gangwal fails to cite a single concrete example where any act or omission has resulted in any loss or damage to IndiGo. Paan ki dukaan has apparently done well, InterGlobe said.

In the notice for the proposed EGM, Gangwal had said that events go far beyond just poor governance and even a paan ki dukaan would have handled these matters with more grace.

Sources aware of the development said, in his submission to Sebi, Gangwal has said that for multiple related-party transactions, IndiGo didnt take permission from the audit committee. He also raised questions about an audit done by EY, which was not disclosed to the board. Under Sebi rules, whenever there is an issue of governance, the audit committee has to investigate, discuss and decide what they will study... And not get it done in two weeks. Also, why hasnt the report been disclosed to the full board? a person close to Gangwal asked.

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Karnataka, Congress leader DK Shivakumar visited the residence of Congress MLA and state minister MTB Nagaraj early on Saturday morning to convince him to take back his resignation. 

Hoskote MLA Nagaraj and Chikballapur Congress MLA Dr K Sudhakar resigned from the assembly on July 10. 

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had ruled out accepting their resignations "overnight". "Two MLAs Dr K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj have resigned from the assembly. I have not accepted any resignation, I cannot do it overnight like that. I have given them time on 17th. I will go through the procedure and take a decision," Kumar had said on July 10 while speaking to media persons in Bengaluru. 

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Supreme Court took up the pleas of 10 dissident MLAs and directed the Speaker to maintain status quo on their resignation and disqualification till July 16. 

The 13-month-old Congress-JD-S government slumped into crisis following the resignation of 10 MLAs from the membership of the state assembly last week.

Ten days after Rahul Gandhi went public with his resignation as party president, the Congress is yet to schedule a meeting of the Congress Working Committee to decide on his successor. But sources in the party indicated that it could take place next week once there is clarity on the Karnataka political situation.

Several party veterans, including Karan Singh and Janardan Dwivedi, had questioned the delay as well the procedure of finding a replacement for Mr. Gandhi.

On Thursday, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in Bhopal had questioned the delay. We have to search a new party president. A lot of time has elapsed. Now, we cannot allow more time to pass, he told reporters in Bhopal.

Deciding about the party president would be a collective decision. The CWC would take a decision. We all have to take a decision together, he said when asked if he was in the race for the next president.

The party sources said senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Mukul Wasnik and Anand Sharma, who have held several meetings and reached out to other senior leaders and Congress Chief Ministers, have asked colleagues to give names in closed envelopes.

From Wasnik to Mallikarjun Kharge to younger leaders like Sachin Pilot, names of several leaders are doing the rounds in the public domain but the party has been unable to arrive at any consensus candidate.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the US in September for the upcoming UN general assembly meeting and is likely to address Indian-Americans in Houston during his trip, community leaders said.

Chicago and Houston are the two American cities in contention for the Prime Minister's venue to address the diaspora when he is likely to travel to the US later this year to attend the United Nations' Annual General Assembly in New York. 

No official announcement about the trip has been made yet. According to informed community sources, the Prime Minister is likely to travel to New York from Houston to address a special meeting of the UN on climate change on September 23. 

Community leaders said that the dates for the PM's address is not final yet, but they have been asked to make preparations for a potential address of Modi in Houston on September 22. 

Houston is the energy capital of the world. Energy security is a priority area for the Prime Minister. 

This would be Modi's third major address to the Indian-American community after he became the Prime Minister in 2014. The previous two being at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and Silicon Valley in 2016. Both the events were attended by more than 20,000 people. 

While the planning for proposed the Houston event is yet to kick off, community leaders are looking at multipurpose NRG Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 70,000 people.  

Houston has one of the largest concentrations of the Indian American community in the US. The Texas Governor and Mayor of Houston had visited India last year.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is now the Energy Secretary, has a close affinity with India and Indian Americans.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said late on Friday night that he would reshuffle the cabinet on Saturday replacing four ministers and the swearing-in ceremony would be held at 3 pm.

  

Ten Congress MLAs had on Wednesday joined the BJP increasing the strength of the party to 27 on the floor of the House.

The chief minister said the three members from coalition partner Goa Forward Party and an Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte would be dropped from the cabinet.

He refused to name the MLAs who would be inducted but said all the four would be from the BJP, with three of them from the legislators who joined the party on Wednesday.

Speculations are rife that former leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, Philip Nery Rodrigues and Atanasio Monserratte would be inducted in the cabinet along with Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo.

Sawant said the swearing-in ceremony would be held at 3 pm Saturday.

This would the second cabinet reshuffle by Sawant since he took over as the chief minister three months ago. In his first cabinet reshuffle, Sawant had inducted MGP's breakaway MLA Deepak Pauskar after dropping then deputy chief minister Sudin Dhavalikar.

Asked why allies are being dropped from the cabinet, the chief minister said the decision has been taken as per directives of the central leadership.

"I don't want to go into details. We have taken this decision to give good governance to the people," he said.

Sawant has the support by three MLAs from the Goa Forward Party and an Independent.

Goa Forward Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai had during the day said they are hoping for an amicable solution to the crisis.

Ten of the 15 Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, switched sides and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday.

United State President Donald Trump responded to the resignation of Britains ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, who stepped down on Wednesday after leaked diplomatic cables showed him lambasting Trump and his administration as inept and incompetent. 

I wish the British ambassador well, Trump said. Some people just told me too bad but they said he actually said very good things about me. He was sort of referring to other people.

Trumps change of heart comes after he attacked Darroch on Twitter on Monday following the leak, saying he would no longer deal with him. A day later, the US president again pilloried the ambassador, calling him a pompous fool, wacky and a very stupid guy.

The British government stood by Darroch after the Daily Mail published the communications, spread over two years, on Sunday, and continued to praise his work even after his resignation.

Darroch wrote in his resignation letter that the current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.

In the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador, he wrote.

R Kelly is facing two sets of federal sex abuse charges, one from New York prosecutors and another from prosecutors in his home town of Chicago, after he was arrested on Thursday night while out walking his dog.

The 18-page New York indictment charges Kelly with racketeering and sex-related crimes against women and girls, in an 18-page federal indictment that accuses the singer and members of his entourage of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Besides racketeering, the indictment includes charges of transporting for prostitution and coercion or enticement of a female and alleges that Kelly had rules for the women, including not allowing them to eat or use the bathroom and not permitting them to look at other men and telling them to keep their heads down.

The 13-count Chicago indictment filed on Friday details efforts by the accused to cover up sexually explicit videos of Kelly with underage girls. Prosecutors say the defendants paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims and witnesses to make sure they would not cooperate with law enforcement.

It also accuses Kelly of using physical abuse, violence and blackmail to prevent victims from providing evidence to police.

Joseph Fitzpatrick, a US attorney spokesman, said the indictment also contained charges that revolve around child abuse images and obstruction of justice.

The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice, Fitzpatrick said. He said further details would be released later on Friday.