LIVE! Britain's fin min to quit if Johnson becomes PM

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Sun, 21 July 2019

Britain's fin min to quit if Johnson becomes PM

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21:16 Britain's fin min to quit if Johnson becomes PM

British finance minister Philip Hammond said he would make a point of resigning before Boris Johnson became prime minister, saying he could never agree to his Brexit strategy.

Johnson is widely expected to win the governing, centre-right Conservative Party's leadership contest on Tuesday and be named as prime minister once Theresa May resigns the premiership on Wednesday.

Hammond has become an increasingly fierce critic of Johnson's Brexit strategy -- leaving the European Union with or without a deal on October 31 -- and would never have expected to remain as chancellor of the Exchequer in a Johnson government.

But the fact that the second-most senior figure in the government is making a point of resigning rather than wait to be moved on in the incoming prime minister's reshuffle is a significant gesture -- and an indicator of the opposition Johnson could face in pursuing his Brexit strategy.

"I'm sure I'm not going to be sacked because I'm going to resign before we get to that point," Hammond told BBC television.

"Assuming that Boris Johnson becomes the next prime minister, I understand that his conditions for serving in his government would include accepting a no-deal exit on the 31st of October.

"That is not something that I could ever sign up to. It's very important that the prime minister is able to have a chancellor who is closely aligned with him in terms of policy, and I therefore intend to resign to Theresa May before she goes to the palace to tender her own resignation on Wednesday."

May will head to Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday to see Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state, and relinquish her office.

20:42 BJP sets target of 220+ in Maharashtra

The ruling BJP in Maharashtra on Sunday set a target of winning more than 220 seats with its allies in the assembly elections, due later this year, at its state executive met here to chalk out poll strategy.

Addressing the conclave, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis exuded confidence that he will get a second term in the office, a statement that may raise hackles of the BJP ally Shiv Sena, which has been eyeing the post.

Senior party leader and state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar moved a resolution to win more than 220 seats. "Abki bar 220 par," he said.

Maharashtra BJP president and Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said the party needs to further strengthen its booth management in all 288 assembly constituencies, irrespective of how the seat-sharing among the allies is worked out.

"We have to ensure victory of the BJP as well as the candidates of our allies so that we can form a strong and stable government", he said and asserted that the alliance would win more than 220 seats in the assembly elections due in September-October.

In 2014, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 122 seats in the 288-member House. The Sena, which had contested separately, won 63 seats. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party later forged an alliance with the BJP but the ties have remained strained between the two after the BJP emerged as a dominant partner in the state.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Women and Children Development Minister Pankaja Munde skipped the one-day conclave.

Munde was scheduled to move a political resolution along with Mungantiwar.

Patil said Munde could not attend the meeting as she was travelling abroad for her son's college admission, while Gadkari, who was scheduled to address the gathering, had another important meeting to attend.

Addressing the conclave earlier in the day, BJP national working president J P Nadda said the country has changed under the Narendra Modi-led government which has brought "good days" in the last five years.

-- PTI

Two Independent MLAs, who withdrew support to the Congress-JD-S government in Karnataka, are going to move the Supreme Court seeking a direction for conducting a floor test forthwith in the state assembly, their lawyer said.

Independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh said the state has plunged into a political crisis after they withdrew their support to the government and 16 lawmakers of the ruling coalition tendered their resignation.

In their petition, which is likely to be mentioned on Monday, Shankar and Nagesh have sought a direction to the H D Kumaraswamy-led government to hold the floor test on or before 5 pm on July 22, the lawyer said.

"It is submitted that the trust vote is not being conducted despite the government being in minority. It is submitted that a minority government, which does not have the confidence of the majority, is being allowed to continue in office," the Independent legislators said in their plea.

"The petitioners have been constrained to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India seeking a direction from this court to conduct a floor test forthwith in the Karnataka Assembly," according to the plea.

The plea is likely to be mentioned on July 22 for urgent listing.

The Independent MLAs petition came two days after Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy and state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao moved the top court accusing Governor Vajubhai Vala of interfering with the assembly's proceedings during the debate on trust vote.

-- PTI

20:16 Wasn't elected to clean toilets: Pragya Thakur

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, said on Sunday that she was not elected a parliamentarian to "clean toilets and drains" in the state.

Sadhvi Pragya's statement has come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been encouraging the country to participate in the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

A video of the BJP MP making this comment was posted by news agency ANI. In the video, Sadhvi Pragya is seen addressing some people in Sehore when she made the comment. She also said that she would honestly perform the responsibilities that she has become a parliamentarian for.

"Hum naali saaf karwane ke liye nahi bane hain. Hum aapka shauchalaya saaf karne ke liye bilkul nahi banaye gaye hain. Hum jis kaam ke liye banaye gaye hain, vo kaam hum imaandaari se karenge," Sadhvi Pragya is quoted as saying by ANI.

Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, became the Bhopal MP after she defeated Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh.

Actor Naseeruddin Shah on Sunday expressed solidarity with the family members of those

killed in incidents of mob lynching in the country.

Speaking at a national convention on the theme of 'state complicity in hate crimes' in Mumbai's central area of Dadar, Shah said the victims and kin of mob lynchings have suffered a lot.

The event was organised by Democratic Youth Federation of India.

"I feel proud to be with them (kin of victims) in this programme and salute their courage. They have faced a lot more than us in their life. We have faced not even two per cent of

their sufferings," he said.

The actor said he had often been often criticised for his remarks.

"Some called me a traitor, some asked me to go to Pakistan. But these taunts were nothing in comparison with the pain of those people who suffered mob attacks," he said, adding that "My admiration, sympathy and company will always be with these people".

In the past, Shah had been criticised sharply over his comments on rising incidents of mob violence in the country.

He had said that the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman in mob lynching in Bulandshahr.

Shah had said that he was worried for his children in today's India because he imagines a situation where his children may be surrounded by an angry mob and asked: "Are you Hindu or Muslim?"

His comments had drawn sharp reactions from political quarters.

-- PTI

19:16 Netanyahu to visit India on Sep 9 to meet Modi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to India on a day-long visit on September 9 to meet his counterpart Narendra Modi, just eight days before an unprecedented repeat polls in the Jewish state.

Netanyahu, who created history on July 20 by becoming the longest serving Israeli PM, surpassing Israel's first premier David Ben-Gurion, is facing a tough political challenge as opinion polls show flagging fortunes for his ruling Likud party.

"The (Israeli) PM will be in India only for a few hours on September 9 during which he will be meeting Modi. No other significant meeting is yet on the cards but something may be worked out during the coming days, possibly a business meeting," informed sources said.

Israeli lawmakers in May voted 74-45 in favour of dissolving the 21st Knesset (Parliament) and hold an unprecedented repeat general elections on September 17 after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government.

Some analysts believe that the meeting with Modi is meant to prop up his campaign right before the polls.

Ha'aretz columnist Yossi Verter, in an opinion piece, 'Netanyahu's Out of Luck, but He's Hoping a Photo-op With India's Modi Will Help', recently argued that Netanyahu, who's fighting for his personal survival ahead of a hearing before the state prosecution on several graft cases, must find a way to bounce back.

He wrote that that the PM Office in Jerusalem is said to have reached out to their counterparts in New Delhi and requested for an invitation.

Netanyahu will land, meet, have his picture taken, market the visit as "very important" for Israel's security and economic interests, complain that the leftist media ignored the trip and upload something to Facebook, the journalist wrote.

Sources said the Indian PMO had indeed suggested the week of August 25 for the visit but the Israeli side pushed for an early September visit which has finally been confirmed for September 9, exactly sixteen years after then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon created history by becoming the first Israeli Premier to visit India.

-- PTI

The fourth Thor movie -- now revealed to be called Thor: Love and Thunder -- is on its way, and its bringing a surprising cast member: Natalie Portman, reprising her role as Jane Foster, wholl be following in her comic counterparts footsteps to take on the role of Thor in the film, announced as part of Marvels massive San Diego Comic-Con panel.

The news come after an early announcement ahead of SDCC that revealed that Thor: Ragnarok director Taiki Waititi would be returning to direct the fourth installment of the superhero franchise. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will also return for Thor: Love and Thunder, reprising their roles as Thor and Valkyrie, respectively.

18:22 Prashant Kishor skips TMC Martyrs' Day rally

Despite speculations that poll strategist Prashant Kishor would attend the Trinamool Congress' Martyrs' Day rally on Sunday, he gave it a miss.

The media had been rife with speculations that Kishor, also a senior functionary of the BJP's alliance partner Janata Dal-United, would attend the rally.

"Prashant Kishor did not attend the rally. He was nowhere near the dias. It was media speculation (that he would attend the rally). There is not an iota of truth in it," said a senior TMC leader.

After the Lok Sabha polls in which the BJP has made major inroads in West Bengal, winning 18 of the 42 seats, only four less than the TMC, the ruling party in the state roped in Kishor last month.

It is quite unnatural for Kishor to attend a TMC's party programme as he is a national vice-president of the JD-U which is in alliance with the BJP both at the state and national level, said TMC leaders.

Kishor had met the TMC supremo twice last month and Banerjee had claimed the poll strategist would be helping her party as a corporate social responsibility.

It was TMC MP and chief minister's nephew Abhishek Banerjee who played a key role in roping in Kishor.

According to sources in TMC and Kishor's organisation, the Indian Political Action Committee, he would first study the ground situation across West Bengal before chalking out a strategy for the 2021 assembly election in the state.

The Martyrs' Day rally is organised by the TMC every year on July 21 in the memory of 13 Youth Congress activists killed in police firing in 1993 during the Left Front regime in West Bengal. Banerjee was a leader of the Youth Congress at that time.

-- PTI

Four elderly people, including two women, were lynched in Jharkhand's Gumla district on the suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place at Nagar Siskari village in the district on Saturday night.

Superintendent of Police Anjani Kumar Jha said a group of 10 masked men dragged them out of their houses and beat them to death with sticks.

"It appears to be a witchcraft-related incident and the matter is being investigated," he said.

Suna Oraon (65), Champa Oraon (79), Fagni Oraine (60) and Piro Oraine (74) were killed, Jha said.

Police have launched a search to nab the accused, he said.

-- PTI

17:45 Priyanka welcomes UP CM's visit to Sonbhadra

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday took a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after he visited Sonbhadra where 10 Gond tribals were shot dead over a land dispute four days ago, saying "acknowledging one's duty is good".

She said the UP government has acted only after the Congress came out in strong support of the tribals.

The Congress general secretary met relatives of the victims at a guesthouse in Chunar town of Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district Saturday, a day after she was detained and prevented from going to Sonbhadra.

In a tweet on Sunday, she said, "I welcome UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit to Sonbhadra. Standing with the affected people is the duty of the government. Acknowledging one's duty is good."

"Umbha has been awaiting justice since a very long time. Hope the affected people of Umbha will get justice and their five demands will be fulfilled," she added.

After Adityanath's visit to Sonbhadra, the Congress general secretary in another tweet said, "Only when thousands of Congress workers and justice-loving people extended their support to the affected families of Umbha, then the Uttar Pradesh government felt that some serious incident has taken place. All the announcements, which have been made today, must be implemented at the earliest."

She said the tribals should get the ownership of land and most importantly the people of the village should get security.

On Saturday, she left for Delhi after a meeting with relatives of the victims who travelled to the Mirzapur guesthouse, where she had stayed overnight.

Twenty-eight people were injured in the clash, including nine supporters of the village head.

-- PTI

Global icon Priyanka Chopra, who revealed suffering from asthma last year, was seen enjoying a smoke on a yacht with her family as she continued her birthday celebrations.

In a picture from her family vacation, which has now gone viral on social media, Priyanka can be seen smoking a cigarette, while her mother Madhu Chopra and husband Nick Jonas can be seen enjoying a cigar on the yacht ride.

she is being called out brutally on social media for smoking, with netizens calling her a 'hypocrite'.

For the unversed, the 'Quantico' star had released a video last year, urging the people to not burst crackers on Diwali, in order to curb pollution. The actor, who is asthmatic, said in the clip, that the festival should be about "lights and laddoos and love, and not pollution".

Last year, Priyanka also joined hands with a brand for an ad campaign to shed light on the truth about asthma and spreading awareness. The actor also revealed that she was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 5, but that did not stop her from living a normal life.

Now, netizens are criticising the actor for being "hypocrite" and "fake".

Fans also dug out a tweet from 2010 in which the 37-year-old star wrote, "Smoking is awful!!! Yuck!!!"

A user called out the actor, by sharing her yacht ride picture and writing, "Hypocrite."

-- ANI

Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa has exuded confidence that Monday will be the last day of the Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition government led by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in the state.

"As (senior Congress leader) Siddaramaiah, the speaker and Kumaraswamy have said that they will seek majority Monday, I am 100 per cent confident that things will reach a conclusion. I am confident that tomorrow will be the last day of the Kumaraswamy government," he told reporters here on Sunday.

He was referring to the trouble the JD-S-Congress coalition government has landed in.

In the recent past, there was a flurry of resignations by legislators, withdrawal of resignation by two Independent lawmakers and the strange case of Kagwad Congress MLA Shreemant Patil, who disappeared and surfaced at a Mumbai hospital, leading the Kumaraswamy government to the verge of collapse.

Ahead of the crucial floor test on Monday that will decide the fate of the Kumaraswamy-led government, Yeddyurappa alleged the ruling coalition was unnecessarily buying time despite knowing that whip issued to the ruling coalition MLAs was of no use.

To back his claim, Yeddyurappa referred to the Supreme Court ruling in the matter on July 17.

"The SC has clearly said in its order that under any circumstances the 15 MLAs staying in Mumbai should not be compelled to attend the current assembly session. It has clearly stated that it is left to them (MLAs) whether they want to attend or not," the former chief minister said.

-- PTI

16:21 Chandrayaan-2 countdown begins this evening

The countdown for the launch of Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan-1, begins Sunday evening. ISRO has successfully completed the launch rehearsal of the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The launch is slated for July 22.

"Chandrayaan-2 will be launched on Monday afternoon. All the preparatory works regarding the launch have been completed. Technical snags that developed in the first attempt have been rectified,"said Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Sivan.

"The 20-hour countdown will begin at 6.43 pm today. It will be launched at 2.43 pm tomorrow. All arrangements are going well," he added.

He said that Chandrayaan-2 will be landing on the moon very slowly. "It will land on the South Pole. There is a lot of scientific testing to be done regarding the mission. Scientists around the world are looking forward to the launch," said Sivan.

-- ANI

15:59 Sheila Dikshit cremated with state honours

The last rites of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit are being conducted at Nigambodh Ghat.

The former Delhi CM is being accorded a state funeral. Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal are present along with other senior Congress leaders at the crematorium.

Dikshit's remains were earlier taken to the Congress headquarters where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid their respects.

Sheila Dikshit passed away on Saturday at the age of 81 after suffering a cardiac failure.

15:27 Sheila Dikshit's remains reach Nigambodh Ghat

Sheila Dikshit's remains reach Nigambodh Ghat, prayers of last rites begin.

As former Delhi CM's remains were being taken to Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi received rainfall.

Earlier at the Congress Headquarters, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said of Dikshit, "She was a great support for me. She became almost an elder sister and a friend. This is a big loss for the Congress party. I will always remember her."

BJP leader and Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah is also likely to attend Congress senior leader Sheila Dikshit's funeral at Nigambodh ghat. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP senior leader LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj had also visited her residence in Nizamuddin to pay their respects.

14:53 PV Sindhu loses in finals at Indonesian Open

PV Sindhu loses 15-21, 16-21 to Akane Yamaguchi at the Indonesian Open.

The Japanese shuttler displayed some incredible attacking moves to bag her first Super 1000 event in 50 minutes.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met the family members of the people who were gunned down over a land dispute in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district.

Yogi flew to Sonbhadra from Lucknow and went by road to Umbha village to meet the families. Ten persons from the Gond community were killed when the village headman and his associates allegedly opened fire at them over a land dispute on July 17. Over 20 people sustained injuries in the incident.

Several Samajwadi Party workers were detained by the police ahead of Adityanath's visit.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is in force in the village.

The chief minister had told a press conference on Friday that 29 people have been arrested and four officials have been suspended in connection with the incident.

"Till now, 29 criminals have been arrested. A single barrel gun, three double-barrel guns and a rifle have been seized. Whoever is found responsible for this incident, strictest action will be taken against them," he had said.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been paid to the families of the deceased by the state government.

-- ANI

PV Sindhu is playing the finals against Akane Yamaguchi at the Indonesian Open.

Sindhu had no answers to the Japanese fast-paced game from the mid-court and loses the first set 15-21.

14:10 'BJP is indulging in horse trading everywhere'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that central agencies are threatening TMC leaders and elected representatives with prison in chit fund scam cases if they don't get in touch with the BJP.

The Trinamool Congress supremo, addressing the Martyrs' Day rally, also said the party will launch a state-wide protest on July 26, demanding return of black money "siphoned off" by the BJP.

"Central agencies are threatening our leaders and elected representatives over chit fund scams, asking them to get in touch with the BJP or face prison," Banerjee said.

The chief minister accused the saffron party of luring TMC MLAs with money and other perks.

"The BJP is offering Rs 2 crore and a petrol pump to our MLAs to switch over... Just like in Karnataka, the BJP is indulging in horse trading everywhere," Banerjee alleged.

She said the BJP government at the Centre would not last for "more than two years", considering the way it is functioning.

"Credit for the smooth conduct of Parliament goes to opposition parties, not those in power," the TMC chief said.

-- PTI

13:56 Fire at 4-storey building near Taj in Mumbai

A fire has broken out at a four-storey building near the Taj Mahal hotel in south Mumbai's Colaba.

Firefighters have reached the site and are trying to bring the situation under control, officials said.

Nine people have been rescued from the burning Churchill Chamber building, about a two-minute walk from the five-star hotel, and some are feared trapped.

No casualties reported till now.

13:54

Lok Janshakti Party Member of Parliament, Ram Chandra Paswan passes away at RML Hospital in Delhi. He is brother of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

12:48 'Sheila Dikshit Amar Rahe' chants as body reaches Congress HQ

Sheila Dikshits mortal remains have reached Congress headquarters from where the three-time Delhi chief minister will be taken on her final journey for a state funeral at Nigambodh Ghat at 3pm, a day after she passed away following cardiac arrest.

Dikshit, who gave the national capital its modern look, breathed her last at 3:55 pm at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute on Saturday.

Chants of "Sheila Dikshit Amar Rahe! Sheila Dikshit Zindabad!" follow the late Congress leader's funeral procession. The three-time Delhi chief minister will be given a state funeral and a two-day period of mourning will be observed, the Delhi government said.

The senior leader was preparing for the Delhi assembly polls scheduled for early next year, but now the Congress is concerned about appointing leadership for the election that can match Dikshit's appeal.

"None in the current crop of leaders match up to the popularity and appeal of Dikshit. The three working presidents Haroon Yusuf, Devender Yadav and Rakesh Lilothia are relatively junior to other senior leaders like JP Agarwal, AK Walia and Subhash Chopra," a party leader said.

12:26 Mamata to address mega TMC rally in Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will address Trinamool Congress's mega Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata today.

This rally is organised by TMC every year on July 21 in the memory of the 13 youth Congress activists killed in police firing in 1993 in which lakhs of people from across the state participate.

All eyes are on Mamata Banerjee, as she may kick off campaign for West Bengal assembly elections that would be held in 2021. She is also expected to launch a campaign against the Electronic Voting Machines and a return to ballot box.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his team are expected to be present at the rally to understand the mindset of the people of West Bengal before the 2021 state assembly election.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Babul Supriyo said that Trinamool Congress will be "swept away" from West Bengal by 2021. He tweeted, "They became half in 2019 and they will be swept away by 2021."

12:07

Sonbhadra police, at Robertsganj, arrest several leaders of Samajwadi Party including former MLA Avinash Kushwaha and local office bearers of the party.

12:03 Sheila Dikshit's remains move to Congress HQ

Mortal remains of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit being taken from her residence in Nizamuddin to Congress Headquarters.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's last rites will be performed today.

The last rites would be performed at the Nigambodh ghat.

The Delhi government has declared a two-day state mourning for Sheila Dikshit's death, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.

11:53 Lucknow scheduled to host DefExpo India 2020

The defence ministry has decided to organise the 11th edition of the biennial DefExpo in Lucknow next year. In 2018, the show was held in Chennai and this is the first time that it will be held in Uttar Pradesh's capital city.

"The 11th edition #DEFEXPO2020 will be held in Lucknow (UP) from February 5th to 8th, 2020. The mega expo will showcase India's Defence Manufacturing Prowess. With the presence of strong defence industrial infra, U.P. is an attractive destination for defence investment," a tweet by the Raksha Mantri Office (RMO) on Sunday said.

The Expo offers an excellent opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential. The theme of the DefExpo India- 2020 will be 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' and focus will be on 'Digital Transformation of Defence'.

The shows are conducted at an international level, which not only facilitates Business-to-Business interaction with senior foreign delegations but also Government-to-Government meetings and signing of Memorandums of Understanding.

The exhibition will also highlight the emergence of UP as an attractive destination for investment in the defence sector and act as a platform for alliances and joint ventures in the defence industry.

-- ANI

11:27 Sonia's heartfelt letter on Sheila Dikshit

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a heartfelt letter to former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's children condoling the death of the veteran leader.

Gandhi, in her letter to Sandip and Latika Dikshit, spoke of her relationship with their mother and praised her dedication to "transform" Delhi. She had on Saturday visited Sheila Dikshit's residence to pay her tributes. Her body has been kept at her residence in Delhi's Nizamuddin.

Sonia Gandhi also spoke of her husband Rajiv Gandhi's regard for Sheila Dikshit in the letter and said she had a "close relationship" with her.

"I came to share my husband's regard for Sheilaji & to value her very special gifts as I developed my own close relationship with her," the letter read.

She went on to add that they worked together closely while Sheila Dikshit was chief minister of Delhi and the national capital region's party chief.

Praising Sheila Dikshit on her "tremendous achievements", Sonia Gandhi said her legacy was how she transformed Delhi and made it a better place to live in.

"She worked with such vision and dedication to transform Delhi, to make it a much better place to live in for all its citizens, including the poorest, and that tremendous achievement remains her lasting legacy," the letter read.

She ended the letter by saying Sheila Dikshit served the Congress with "courage and loyalty till the end" and wished that her children find strength to bear the loss.

11:18 Taslima Nasreen gets one-year residence permit

Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's residence permit has been extended for one year by the Union home ministry, officials said on Sunday.

Taslima, a citizen of Sweden, has been getting residence permit on a continuous basis since 2004.

Her residence permit has been further extended for one more year till July 2020, a home ministry official said.

-- PTI

As the Delhi Congress chief, Sheila Dikshit's last instruction to party workers was to stage a protest outside Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters if the standoff between party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Uttar Pradesh government did not end on Saturday, said a former cabinet colleague.

On Friday, the Delhi Congress had sent out a message in Dikshit's name, urging party leaders and workers to come for a mass protest at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg against the detention of the Priyanka Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh.

She was missing from the protest, which was, instead, led by Haroon Yusuf, the working president of the Delhi Congress.

On Friday evening though, she instructed her party members to again stage a protest the next day if the standoff did not end.

"Had the stand-off between the UP government and Priyanka Gandhi not ended today, then the Delhi Congress was to stage a protest outside BJP headquarters. This was Sheila Dikshit's last instruction as the Delhi Pradesh chief on Friday evening," said a teary-eyed Kiran Walia, who was a minister in Dikshit's cabinet.

"Events took a different turn as far as Uttar Pradesh was concerned, else we would have protested," she said after paying tributes to the former chief minister at her residence

The standoff between Priyanka Gandhi and the UP government ended on Saturday after some of the villagers from Sonbhadra, where 10 people were gunned down over a land dispute, came to the guesthouse in Mirzapur district where the Congress leader was staying .

On Friday, she was detained by the Mirzapur administration when she insisted on travelling to the scene of the recent shooting in Sonbhadra. Gandhi was taken to the Chunar guesthouse where she spent Friday night, insisting she will not return to Delhi unless she meets the families of the victims. -- PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected travel to China next month to prepare ground for the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in India in October, government sources said.

In Beijing, Jaishankar will held wide-ranging talks with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi covering various aspects of bilateral ties besides discussing key regional and global issues, they said.

The primary objective of the visit will be to prepare ground for the second informal summit between Modi and Xi which is likely to be held in the second week of October, the sources said.

In the informal summit, the two leaders are likely to focus on further broadening India-China ties which will include enhancing people-to-people contacts and expanding cooperation in trade and investment.

The two leaders held the first informal summit in April in Chinese city of Wuhan months after bilateral ties came under severe strain following a 73-day standoff between the armies of the two countries in Doklam in the Sikkim sector of the border.

In the Wuhan summit, Modi and Xi decided to issue "strategic guidance" to militaries of the two countries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future.

China's new Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said in Beijing that with two strong leaders at the helm in both the countries, the ties are set to reach new heights.

Under the strategic guidance provided by Xi and Modi at their first informal summit in Wuhan last year, the China-India relations have gathered a "very good and sound momentum of development", Sun told a group of Indian journalists.

"This year the two leaders are going to hold another informal meeting. I believe, this will be a top priority in our bilateral relations which will surely take our relations on to new heights," he said.

Modi and Xi held a bilateral meeting last month in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

It was the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi's re-election following the massive victory of the BJP in the general elections in May. Modi had described the meeting as "extremely fruitful". -- PTI

10:05 Dikshit's last rites today at Nigambodh ghat

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's last rites will be performed today.

The three-time Delhi chief minister and senior Congress leader passed away on Saturday afternoon at a private hospital in New Delhi after suffering a cardiac arrest.

She was 81.

Her body has been kept at her Nizamuddin East residence, where several leaders from Congress and opposition parties, visited to pay their last respects.

The last rites would be performed at the Nigambodh ghat.

The Delhi government has declared a two-day state mourning for Sheila Dikshit's death, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.

Condolences have poured in for the veteran Congress leader from across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted their condolences.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav Saturday said the Centre should declare the flood and drought situations in Bihar as national disaster and provide a financial assistance of Rs 10,000 crore to the state.

The death in Bihar flood rose to 97 on Saturday, as over 69 lakh people were affected in 12 districts.

"Bihar is reeling under both flood and drought situations. The Centre should announce the situations as national disaster and give the state Rs 10,000 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit the state," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters.

The former Bihar deputy chief minister along with senior RJD leaders Sivanand Tiwari and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh met jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad, at the RajendraInstitute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi.

Prasad who is serving sentence in several fodder scam cases is under treatment at the hospital for multiple ailments.

Responding to a query on formation of a separate party recently by a section of the RJD's Jharkhand unit, Tejashwi said there are some opportunistic and over-ambitious elements in the party and it happens during election time. -- PTI

Malabika Sarkar, the principal advisor of Ashoka University, has been appointed its vice-chancellor after political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta resigned from the post, saying he is quitting to complete "long-standing academic tasks".

Mehta will, however, continue to teach there, according to a statement issued by the university located in Sonipat, Haryana on Saturday.

"For the past some time, I have been a little stretched by the time that the increasing complexity of tasks that a fast-growing university like Ashoka demands from a role as critical as that of the vice-chancellor.

"I am personally at a stage where I would like to complete some long-standing academic tasks that I had set myself. Therefore, it seemed an appropriate time to hand over the baton to very competent hands while continuing to play an even more active part in the academic life of the University," he said in the statement.

Sarkar, who takes over from Mehta, is a former vice-chancellor of Presidency University, Kolkata, and a professor of English literature.

She was earlier the head of the Department of English at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, a member of Jadavpur University Council and of various academic bodies of the university, it said.

She was also a member of the University Grants Commission Panel of Experts in English and Foreign Languages and a panel member of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

"Professor Sarkar has been a part of the team that has shaped the university into one of India's finest liberal arts and sciences universities," founding vice-chancellor and current chancellor of Ashoka University, Rudrangshu Mukherjee, said.

Sarkar said she was looking forward to work with the faculty and students to build a world-class university. -- PTI

09:01 Chandrayaan-2 launch rehearsal completed: ISRO

ISRO said on Saturday it has completed the launch rehearsal of GSLV Mark III-M1, the launch vehicle of Chandrayaan 2, and its performance is normal.

After aborting the second Indian mission to Moon on July 15, an hour before the take off, ISRO has said it would go ahead with the mission on July 21.

"Launch rehearsal of #GSLVMkIII-M1 / #Chandrayaan2 mission completed, performance normal #ISRO," he said.

The launch of Chandrayaan 2, aimed at landing a rover on the unexplored Lunar South Pole, was aborted early on July 15 due to a "technical snag" in the rocket.

The snag had occurred when the liquid propellant was being loaded into the rocket's indigenous cryogenic upper-stage engine.

Veteran scientists had heaped praise on ISRO for calling off the launch rather hurrying into a major disaster. -- PTI

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Saturday that without knowing Sanskrit, it is difficult to understand India completely.

All existing languages in the country, including tribal ones, are made up of at least 30 per cent Sanskrit words, he said, speaking at a book launch in Nagpur.

Even Dr B R Ambedkar lamented that he did not get the opportunity to learn Sanskrit because it is key to learn about the country's traditions, Bhagwat said.

"There is no language in any part of our country which cannot be learnt in three to four months. If we are hearing any language for the first time and the person speaks a little slowly, then we at least understand the 'emotion' of it, and the reason for this is Sanskrit," he said, calling it a connecting language.

"Every language in India, even those in tribal areas, has at least thirty percent Sanskrit words," the RSS chief said.

"Sanskrit is a language of knowledge and all the knowledge of (ancient) astronomy, agriculture and Ayurveda can be found only in Sanskrit.

"Even the resources for pre-modern history of India are only in Sanskrit," he said.

"Therefore, without knowing Sanskrit it is difficult to understand Bharat completely. Even, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had said this.

"He had said, 'I feel sad that I could not learn Sanskrit, because (then) I had to learn about my country and its people and our traditions from western translated versions and there is no certainty as to they are correct or not'," Bhagwat added.

Sanskrit should be taught in such a way that it can be learnt by everybody, the RSS chief said. -- PTI

Nirmala Purandare, noted social activist and educationist died at her residence in Pune on Saturday after prolonged illness, family members said. She was 86.

She is the wife of noted historian Babasaheb Purandare.

Purandare was associated with the Vanasthali Rural Development Centre, founded in 1981 and working to educate children and women in rural areas, as well as the Vidyarthi Sahayak Samiti, which provides lodging and boarding facilities at a nominal cost to students from the economically weaker section of society coming to Pune to pursue higher education.

She was also instrumental in setting up over 250 'balwadis' (pre-school) in Maharashtra.

She is survived by husband Babasaheb Purandare, sons Amrut and Prasad, daughter Madhuri Purandare. -- PTI

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Washington DC on Saturday afternoon on a three-day official trip to the United States.

Khan, 66, is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, July 22, during which the American leadership will press him to take "decisive and irreversible" actions against terrorist and militant groups operating from Pakistani soil and facilitate peace talks with the Taliban.

The cricketer-turned-politician arrived in Washington DC abroad a commercial Qatar Airways flight and is staying at the official residence of the Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan.

He was welcomed at the airport by his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. A large number of Pakistani Americans also welcomed him.

Nawaz Sharif was the last Pakistani prime minister to visit the US on an official working trip in October 2015.

During his stay in Washington DC, Khan, in addition to his meeting with Trump, is also scheduled to meet IMF acting chief David Lipton and World Bank President David Malpass.

He is scheduled to address a gathering of thousands of Pakistani Americans at capitol One Arena in downtown Washington DC on Sunday, July 21, and speak at the US Institute of Peace think-tank on July 23.

The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will call on him on Tuesday.

Trump, in addition to a one-on-meeting in the Oval Office will host the visiting delegation over a working lunch at the White House on Monday. He is also scheduled to meet lawmakers at the US Capitol Hill.

Before becoming the prime minister, Khan used to visit the US regularly and has a sizeable support base among the Pakistani diaspora.

This is after several decades that a visiting Pakistani leader has been welcomed by members of the Pakistani diaspora in such a large number.

Meanwhile, hours before his arrival Pakistan hired the services of lobbying firm Holland & Knight. The memorandum of understanding on this was signed between former Republican Congressman Tom Reynolds and Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Majeed Khan. -- PTI

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