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Sun, 30 June 2019
Elaborate security in place for Amarnath Yatra
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21:02 Elaborate security in place for Amarnath Yatra
The first batch of 2,234 pilgrims for this year's Amarnath Yatra arrived here Sunday amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Over 1.5 lakh pilgrims from across the country have so far registered themselves for the 46-day long yatra, which takes place from the traditional 36-km Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
The first convoy of 93 vehicles, including three motorcycles, carrying the pilgrims was flagged off at Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in the early hours of Sunday by advisor to the Governor, K K Sharma.
A multi-tier security grid has been formed for the security of pilgrims this year.
"A robust security cover has been put in place for the Yatra which includes satellite and chip-based tracking of vehicles and pilgrims. The deployment of forces will be in various layers to ensure smooth conduct of the pilgrimage," the officials said.
Elaborating upon the security plan, they said apart from a special motorcycle squad of CRPF personnel with cameras fixed on their helmets accompanying the convoys -- which was introduced last year CCTV cameras have been placed at various locations at base camps and sensitive spots along the twin routes, including on the highway.
The 300 additional companies of security forces deployed for the conduct of parliamentary polls in Kashmir Valley have been retained and deployed for the security of the pilgrimage, they said.
Besides the security deployment on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and Yatra routes, stationing personnel in sensitive areas and quick reaction teams (of police and CRPF), mobile vehicle check posts along with technical monitoring, including through drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, are all part of the comprehensive security plan.
The officials added that barricades will be erected on the highways soon after the cut-off timing for the movement of security forces' convoys and pilgrims.
They said each Yatra vehicle will be fitted with Radio Frequency Identification tag which will remain under the radars connected with respective control rooms, and no such vehicle will be allowed to cross a particular point after the cut-off timing.
To further strengthen the security apparatus, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board has provided every pilgrim with barcodes which will be connected with towers set up at multiple locations along the Yatra route.
Inspector General of CRPF, Ravideep Singh Sahi said stringent security arrangements have been made right from Jammu to the holy cave shrine.
-- PTI
20:17 J-K Guv Satya Pal Malik lauds role of Muslims in smooth conduct of Amarnath Yatra
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday lauded the role of local Muslims in ensuring the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra over the years and expressed hope that the pilgrimage will be successful this year too.
Malik said while the government looks after the security aspect of the annual pilgrimage, it is conducted with the support of the locals.
"The security for the yatra is our responsibility and we are taking care of it. But police or Army do not conduct the yatra. For many years, the Amarnath Yatra is being conducted by the people of Kashmir, especially our Muslim brothers. The yatra takes place with their support," he told reporters.
"If all of us work together, it will be successful," he added.
The 46-day annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva in south Kashmir Himalayas will commence on Monday and conclude on August 15.
Asked whether the Centre's Kashmir policy will see a change with Amit Shah being appointed as the Union home minister, Malik said he had not seen anything of that sort yet.
"I am not seeing anything like that yet, but Amit Shah's leadership is a very successful leadership and whatever work he has undertaken, he has been successful in it," he said.
-- PTI
19:57 BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday
The first meeting of the BJP parliamentary party during the ongoing session will be held on July 2, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to lay down the agenda for its near 380 MPs, the highest-ever saffron tally in Parliament.
Apart from the significance of the ongoing session, in which his government will present it first budget and also hopes for the passage of many bills, Modi may also speak about key decisions his dispensation has taken since it assumed power in May.
Though there has been no official word about its agenda, it has been customary in the parliamentary party meeting to facilitate Modi following his return from any significant international event. He returned to India on Saturday after attending the G-20 Summit in Japan.
It will also be the first time in many decades that BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi will not be present in the BJP meeting as the party did not field them in Lok Sabha polls on the ground of 75-year age bar it introduced for its candidates.
The first meeting was scheduled for June 25 but called off following the death of Rajasthan BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Madan Lal Saini.
The BJP won an unprecedented 303 seats in the general election.
-- PTI
19:52 Monsoon deficiency comes down to 33%
June ended with 33 per cent of monsoon precipitation and over 78 per cent of meteorological subdivision recording "deficient" rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department.
However, monsoon is likely to become active this week.
IMD's Additional Director-General Mrutyunjay Mahapatra said formation of a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal will bring good rainfall to central India, including Odisha and parts of Rajasthan.
Parts of north India like Delhi, Punjab and Haryana may not benefit due to this low pressure area and it is unlikely that these states will get rainfall because of it, Mahapatra said.
Private weather forecaster Skymet's Managing Director Jatin Singh said monsoon surge is expected from June 30 to July 15 with a short break in between.
The official monsoon season in the country starts on June 1 and ends on September 30.
As of June 30, monsoon has reached almost the entire country, except a few parts of north India. It is yet to reach Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Monsoon reached Kerala on June 8, a week after its normal onset date. Its progress was halted for more than a week due to Cyclone Vayu in the Arabian Sea.
-- PTI
19:19 Air India plane veers off Mangalore airport
IX384 Air India Express Dubai to Mangalore aircraft veered off the taxiway around 5:40 pm, today.
All passengers are safe and have been deboarded.
19:09 532 kg heroin smuggled from Pak seized at Attari
In its biggest ever narcotics haul, the Customs Department seized 532 kg of suspected heroin worth Rs 2,700 crore, which was smuggled into India from Pakistan in a truck through trade route at the Attari border, officials said Sunday.
An official said the smuggling racket's alleged mastermind, based in Kashmir valley, has been arrested and the importer of the rock salt consignment, who is based in Amritsar, has been detained for questioning.
The consignment of heroin and another 52 kg of suspected mixed narcotics was concealed under hundreds of bags of rock salt inside the truck which arrived at Attari through the Integrated Check Post two days ago, Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Deepak Kumar Gupta said.
"In a major breakthrough in busting the international organised drug smuggling, the Customs Preventive Commissionerate, Amritsar has seized 532 kg of suspected heroin and 52 kg of suspected mixed narcotics in the import consignment at ICP, Attari," he said.
"This is the biggest ever achievement in annals of the Indian Customs history," he told a press conference here.
Tariq Ahmed, the mastermind of the organised smuggling racket based in Handwara, Kashmir, has been arrested with the help of Jammu and Kashmir police, Gupta said, adding that further investigations is underway.
"We are also questioning the importer of the consignment of rock salt," he said.
-- PTI
18:50 Beauty and the beast: Trump praises Pompeo-Ivanka after meeting Kim
Addressing the United States officials stationed at Osan Air Base after his unprecedented meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, US President Donald Trump on Sunday called his daughter Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on stage and referred to them as "a beautiful couple, beauty and the beast" who work hard to bring the two leaders together.
"Everybody was so happy and many people in North Korea were in tear. It is a big thing. We have a tremendous team of people who know how to do it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is here... Come on stage... And come up on stage Ivanka Trump. What a beautiful couple, beauty and the beast," said Trump.
The statement comes hours after Trump met Kim in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea, making him the first sitting US president to set foot in the former enemy territory. "This is a historic moment," said Kim after Trump entered North Korea, crossing the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas.
-- ANI
18:23 Vadodara hosts Pride Parade
Vadodara on Sunday witnessed the Pride Parade in which over 1,000 members of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex community took part.
"We are calling it Vadodara LGBTQ Sammaan Yatra. This parade is being held to push for the equal rights and dignity for lesbians, bi-sexuals, and LGBTQ community. This is to tell the society that we all have a right to live with dignity," Kartika, a member of Forum Foundation, said. "If the Supreme Court had struck down Section 377 of Indian Penal Code, which criminalised same-sex relations, then the society should also support us," added Kartika.
Parade-goers marched through the street with rainbow flags and placards, with messages in support of the LGBTQ community. Some of the placards read -- Dad, We Need To Talk and What Is Normal Anyway?
The participants dressed in colours of the rainbow were dancing to the beats of drums and singing music to celebrate their identity.
Last year on September 6, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by former Chief Justice Dipak Misra, comprising Justices DY Chandrachud, Rohinton Fali Nariman, A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra, announced the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
-- ANI
18:00 Post Gupta weddings, Auli is clean: Officials
The ski resort of Auli in Uttarakhand, the scene of the high profile weddings of two sons of South Africa-based businessmen Gupta brothers, has been cleaned, top officials of the Joshimath municipality said on Sunday.
"Auli is totally clean now. We have picked up all the garbage and cleaned all the pit sewage," said SP Nautiyal, the Executive Officer of the Joshimath Municipality. The official had last week asserted that Auli will be cleaned by June 30.
The municipality has also slapped a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on Gupta brothers for scattering garbage and defecating in open in the picturesque mountain resort where the weddings were held last week.
Rs 1 lakh was slapped for defecating in open, and Rs 1.5 lakh is the penalty for scattering garbage, Nautiyal said. A copy of the chalan has already been sent to the event management company which made arrangements for the weddings, Nautiyal said.
In addition to this, the municipality has also prepared a bill of Rs 8.14 lakh for collecting the garbage left as environmentalists raised concerns. Already, Gupta brothers have deposited Rs 5.54 lakh with the municipality which also includes Rs 54,000 as user charges.
The Gupta brothers have assured the municipality officials that they would pay all the bills and fines shortly.
Following the Gupta weddings, the Joshimath municipality collected a total of 321 quintal of garbage from the site.
17:19 Hizbul terrorist killed in Budgam encounter
A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, a police official said.
Acting on a credible input, a cordon and search operation was launched jointly by police and security forces at Budgam in Chadoora area, the official said.
He said during the search operation, a militant fired on the search party.
The fire was retaliated to, leading to an encounter in which the terrorist was killed and his body was recovered along with arms and ammunition.
The terrorist has been identified as Hilal Bhat from Armulla area of Pulwama district of south Kashmir, the official said.
Bhat was affiliated with the proscribed outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and was involved in several terror cases, he added.
-- PTI
17:02 Wall collapse: 2 sent to custody till July 2
A Maharashtra court on Sunday remanded two builders, arrested in connection with the wall collapse in Kondhwa area where 15 labourers were killed, in police custody till July 2.
Vipul Agarwal and Vivek Agarwal, the developers and partners in Alcon Landmarks, were arrested on Saturday after a portion of a 22-ft-high compound wall of a housing society collapsed on adjoining shanties of construction workers following incessant rainfall.
They were produced before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S S Ramdin who remanded them in police custody till Tuesday.
At least 15 people were killed and two were injured when the compound wall of a housing society Alcon Stylus in Kondhwa area collapsed on the makeshift shanties of labourers early Saturday.
Police registered a case of culpable homicide against the developers of two construction firms Alcon Landmarks and Kanchan Royal Exotica and arrested Agarwals on Saturday evening.
The prosecution told the court that the police custody of the accused was required to investigate the case, as residents of the housing society had raised the issue of the compound wall's condition with the builders from time-to-time but no action was taken by them.
The police also told the court they need to seize some documents and maps of the Alcon Stylus building and investigate to whom the developers had given the contract to construct the wall.
However, defence lawyer Sanjay Agarwal opposed the demand for police custody, saying it cannot be a case of culpable homicide.
"It is a case of death caused by negligence under Indian Penal Code Section 304-A," he said.
The police have booked the accused under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention).
After hearing both the sides, the judge remanded both the accused in police custody till July 2.
-- PTI
16:52 Congress slams govt over rise in fuel prices
The Congress on Sunday slammed the Centre over rise in fuel prices, saying the BJP is back to "fleece" the people.
Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the petrol prices in Delhi on June 22 were Rs 69.93 per litre and went up to Rs 70.40 per litre on June 30, a rise of Rs 0.47 per litre.
He also compared the diesel prices, saying they were at Rs 63.78 per little on June 22 and rose to 64.22 per litre on June 30, a hike of Rs 0.44 per little.
"BJP back to fleece people! Rising Petrol-Diesel Prices in past 8 days burdening middle class and farmers! (sic)" Surjewala tweeted.
In another tweet, Surjewala also hit out at the NDA government at the Centre and the LDF government in Kerala over farmers' miseries in the state.
"Post 2018 floods in Kerala, farmers miseries abound as State and Central Government apathy continues unabated (sic)," he said.
"Tea production down by 120 lakh tonnes. Rubber production down by 15,000 tonnes. Pepper, Banana & Nutmeg crops suffering too (sic)," Surjewala said, adding, "Wake up call!"
-- PTI
16:21 Rain pours inside Gujarat's Statue of Unity
Rainwater was seen pouring inside an observation gallery within the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, according to tourists who uploaded videos on social media. Videos of puddles of water on the floor and water dripping off the roof of the Rs 3,000-crore statue drew criticism from many, who termed the incident "unfortunate".
The 182-metre statue, a memorial to freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is the tallest structure of its kind in the world and was inaugurated with much fanfare last year.
"We had come with great hope to see the world's tallest statue. But we are feeling bad looking at the statue in the rain. It has not rained heavily, and already the main hall and viewing gallery of the statue is filled with water. It is unfortunate," a tourist was quoted as saying.
Narmada Collector IK Patel, who is also the chief administrator for the statue, said it was "natural" for water to seep inside the viewing gallery, adding that there was a channel to drain out excess water.
"The viewing gallery is open with grills on the chest of the statue. The rear side of the gallery is covered by glass. The front view is open as per design. So it is natural that water will enter when it rains," he said.
"There is a channel to dispose of rain water. But when the wind speed is more, lots of water comes in and house-keeping personnel continuously drain it out. It is not leakage as is being claimed," Mr Patel added.
A tweet from the Statue of Unity's official Twitter handle said the incident was "being promptly tackled by the maintenance team".
15:47 Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris racially targeted online
Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin Senator and one of the top Democrats eyeing the White House in the 2020 presidential run, has been racially targeted online of her identity as "not an American Black", according to media reports.
Harris, 54, who was born in the US to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father who were both immigrants, has directly confronted critics before who have questioned her black heritage.
Harris, Senator from California, was the target of birtherism-like attack, the latest jabs to racism faced by former President Barack Obama, CNN reported.
"Birtherism," promoted by some Republicans, including President Donald Trump before he assumed the presidency, was a movement that denied former President Obama was a natural-born US citizen, implying he was ineligible to be president.
"Kamala Harris is *not* an American Black. She is half Indian and half Jamaican," the critic, who identified as African American, tweeted on Thursday.
"I'm so sick of people robbing American Blacks (like myself) of our history. It's disgusting. Now using it for debate time at #DemDebate2? These are my people not her people. Freaking disgusting," the critic tweeted.
The viral tweet by right-wing personality Ali Alexander, has also gone by the name Ali Akbar, The New York Times reported.
The tweet was however, re-tweeted by President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.
Trump, a valuable Republican surrogate as his father faces a bruising 2020 race, posted the tweet of unverified information, then asked his more than three million followers: "Is this true? Wow," the report added.
"Don's tweet was simply him asking if it was true that Kamala Harris was half-Indian because it's not something he had ever heard before," said the spokesman, Andy Surabian, "and once he saw that folks were misconstruing the intent of his tweet, he quickly deleted it."
Harris officially launched her campaign in January for the US presidential election next year.
If elected, Harris would create history by becoming the first woman in the White House.
-- PTI
15:27 'Lynchings of Muslims linked to Sangh Parivar'
Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi held the Sangh Parivar responsible for the recent spate of crimes where individuals were beaten up for not chanting Jai Shri Ram.
Asaduddin Owaisi said only Dalits and Muslims were being targetted.
"People are being beaten up if they do not raise slogans of Jai Shri Ram and Vande Mataram. Such incidents aren't going to stop. Only Muslims and Dalits are being targeted. There are organisations behind such incidents and all of them are linked to Sangh Parivar," Asaduddin Owaisi told ANI.
Asaduddin Owaisi's statement came days after a 24-year-old man, Tabrez Ansari, was thrashed by a mob in Jharkhand for alleged theft and was forced to chant Jai Shri Ram and Jai Hanuman.
Condemning the Jharkhand lynching, Owaisi had said that incidents now followed a familiar pattern.
"This is the pattern with almost all lynchings. First, a Muslim is murdered by cow lovers. Then the most ridiculous excuses begin: a 'suspicion' of beef possession, theft, smuggling & love jihad. So much for 'sabka vishwas' when we can be killed over mere 'suspicions'," he said in a tweet.
Earlier in the week, Asaduddin Owaisi had said that lynchings were not going to stop as the BJP and RSS have increased hate against Muslims in the society.
n the past week, reports have come from across India of people being beaten up for refusing to chant Jai Shri Ram.
On Friday, a 16-year-old Muslim boy was allegedly beaten by unidentified men in Kanpur for wearing a traditional skull cap and refusing to chant Jai Shri Ram.
Before that, three were arrested by police in Thane, Maharashtra for allegedly beating up a Muslim cab driver and later asking him to chant Jai Shri Ram.
15:01
Fox News reports White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham roughed up by North Korea security guards during US President Donald Trump-North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un meet.
14:39 Trump-Modi had productive discussion: Ivanka
Donald Trump had a "productive discussion" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on topics like Iran, 5G and national security during their meeting in Osaka, the US President's daughter and top adviser Ivanka Trump has said as she described India as a "critical" trading partner, security partner and ally of America.
Modi and Trump met in the Japanese port city of Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the first since the Indian prime minister led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landslide win in the general elections.
In a video of Ivanka tweeted by the White House on Saturday, the final day of the G20 Summit, she gave a brief summary of Trump's separate bilateral meetings between her father and Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ivanka, who has made women's economic issues her main focus, said the US president especially talked about the 5G telecommunications technology and its security implications with other global leaders in his bilateral meetings on the margins of the G20 Summit.
"We are here at the G20 in Osaka and Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abe just concluded a meeting with the President talking about 5G technology, particularly with focus on its security implication," Ivanka said about the meeting between the top leaders of Japan-America-India here.
"A one-on-one meeting between the President and Prime Minister Modi where the same issues were covered, of course 5G, as well as trade relationship between the United States and India, a critical trading partner, a critical security partner and a critical ally," she said while commenting on the Trump-Modi meeting.
"So it was a productive discussion, everything from Iran to national security was covered by the President and the US delegation with their Indian counterparts," the 37-year-old businesswoman-turned politician said, adding that it has been a productive Friday morning for the US President.
Modi himself tweeted that the topics discussed during his talks with President Trump were wide-ranging.
"We discussed ways to leverage the power of technology, improve defence and security ties as well as issues relating to trade," the prime minister said on Twitter.
-- PTI
14:28 Heat wave: Summer vacation extended by a week in Delhi schools for students upto class 8
The Delhi government on Sunday extended by a week the summer vacation in city schools for students till Class 8 in view of hot weather conditions in the national capital.
The schools for up to classes 8 will reopen from July 8 while for the higher classes will reopen from Monday as per the earlier schedule.
"In view of the hot weather in Delhi, the summer vacation for students up to class 8 are being extended till July 8. For other classes the schools will reopen as per earlier schedule," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, clarified that the order will be applicable for both government and private schools.
Weather officials have predicted that heat wave may continue in the city.
-- PTI
14:04 Prince William, Kate to visit Pakistan in autumn
Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton will make first visit to Pakistan in 13 years in the autumn at the request of Britain's Foreign Office, according to the Kensington Palace.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 37, will visit the country shrugging off security fears to follow in the footsteps of William's grandparents, father and late mother, Princess Diana, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undertake an official visit to Pakistan this autumn, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office," according to the tweet.
Further details will be provided in due course, the palace announced on the social media.
-- PTI
13:44 Dy Speaker of Lok Sabha likely from Shiv Sena
The position of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha is likely to be allocated to a leader of the NDA ally Shiv Sena, sources said on Sunday.
The first Parliament session of 17th Lok Sabha will continue till July 26. During this session, Lok Sabha will get a new Deputy Speaker. However, speculations are on regarding the post. At first, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had claimed that the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha should be from his party. However, reports had stated that the YSR Congress Party and Biju Janata Dal are also in the race for the post.
Amid speculations, sources told ANI that leaders from YSRCP and BJD have claimed that they are no longer in the race for the post of Deputy Speaker.
Sources said Shiv Sena has been putting pressure on the NDA government to elect their leader for the post. Two rounds of talks have already been held with Shiv Sena in this regard, sources added.
In the Lower House, Shiv Sena has a total strength of 18 MPs at present.
-- ANI
12:57 Money in Swiss banks: India slips to 74th place, UK remains on top
India has moved down one place to 74th rank in terms of money parked by its citizens and enterprises with Swiss banks, while the UK has retained its top position, as per data released by the central banking authority of the Alpine nation.
India was ranked 73rd last year, after jumping 15 places from its 88th position a year ago.
An analysis of the latest annual banking statistics released by the Swiss National Bank shows that India remains ranked very low when it comes to money parked by Indian individuals and enterprises in Swiss banks, including through their India-based branches, while accounting for just about 0.07 per cent of the aggregate funds parked by all foreign clients of Switzerland-based banks.
In comparison, the top-ranked UK accounted for more than 26 per cent of the total foreign funds parked with Swiss banks at the end of 2018.
Among the top-ranked jurisdictions, the UK is followed by the US, West Indies, France and Hong Kong in the top five.
The top-five countries alone account for more than 50 per cent of the aggregate foreign funds parked with the Swiss banks, while the top-10 account for nearly two-thirds.
The top-15 countries account for nearly 75 per cent of all foreign money in Swiss banks, while the contribution of the top-30 is almost 90 per cent.
The top-10 countries also include Bahamas, Germany, Luxembourg, Cayman Islands and Singapore.
-- PTI
12:35 Trump steps into North Korea, shakes hands with Kim
US President Donald Trump has made history becoming the first sitting US president to step foot on North Korean soil. Trump crossed over the demarcation line separating North and South Korea at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Only two former US presidents have made visits to North Korea: Jimmy Carter, in June 1994, Bill Clinton in August 2009, and Carter again in August 2010. Both visited after they had left office.
Right after he stepped on to North Korean soil, US President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone, the border that separates the two Koreas.
This is the first time the two leaders have met since their February summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, which ended abruptly without an agreement.
"This is a historic moment," North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said of US President Donald Trump stepping into North Korea, across the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas.
"Stepping across that line was a great honour," Trump said, adding that his and Kim's was a "great friendship."
US President Donald Trump, standing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the south side of the Joint Security Area, has invited Kim to Washington.
"I'll invite him to the White House right now," Trump said before shaking hands with Kim, who did not immediately respond to Trump's comment.
"A lot of really positive things are happening," Trump said earlier. "Really positive."
Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
12:14 'I represent inclusive India': Nusrat Jahan on fatwa over attire
After being criticised for sporting vermilion and bangles and not wearing a burqa in Parliament, actor-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan said that she represents an inclusive India.
I represent an inclusive India which is beyond the barriers of caste, creed and religion, Jahan said in a statement that she later shared on Twitter.
She also wrote that she respects all religions.
I still remain a Muslim and none should comment on what I choose to wear. Faith is beyond attire and is more about believing and practicing the invaluable doctrines of all religions, Jahan said.
Criticising her un-Islamic post-marriage appearance at her oath-taking ceremony in Parliament on June 25, a group of Muslim clerics had issued a fatwa against the newly-married Member of Parliament.
Jahan tied the knot with businessman Nikhil Jain on June 19.
11:55 Trump tours DMZ ahead of meeting with North Korea's Kim
US President Donald Trump arrived on Sunday in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula ahead of a meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong Un.
The expected encounter, only suggested a day earlier by Trump on Twitter, comes with negotiations over the North's nuclear programme in stalemate since the leaders' last summit in Vietnam in February.
Accompanied by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, an earnest-looking Trump toured an observation post overlooking North Korean territory, with a US military officer pointing out the sights.
Trump is expected to hold a brief encounter with Kim in the DMZ, which would be their third face-to-face meeting after a historic initial summit in Singapore and a second in Hanoi that collapsed without an agreement.
The two would "just shake hands quickly and say hello because we haven't seen each other since Vietnam", Trump said earlier.
Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
11:39 Let us conserve every drop of water: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme "Mann Ki Baat" resumed today almost a month after the PM returned to power. This is the first 'Mann ki Baat' programme in Modi's second consecutive term as the prime minister.
As India finds itself in the midst of a water-crisis, PM Modi has requested Indian citizens to conserve water. "There is no fixed way to conserve water. In different parts, different methods may be adopted but the aim is same- to conserve every drop of water," the PM said.
PM Modi lauds the concerns and efforts of the citizens towards water conservation. "Over the last few months, so many people have written about water related issues. I am happy to see greater awareness on water conservation," he says.
"I wrote a letter to Gram Pradhans on the importance of water conservation and how to take steps to create awareness on the subject across rural India," he says.
The prime minister calls for a nation wide campaign to spread awareness of the need to conserve the most vital necessity for existence of lives on earth. He appeals to the citizens, including people from the film industry, sports world and the media to come together for the cause.
The prime minister lists his requests to the people as he calls for a movement to save and conserve water. He also asks people to share knowledge and efforts on the issue on Twitter using #JanShakti4JalShakti.
ALSO PLEASE READ:'21 Indian cities will have zero tap water'
11:16 Many told me they missed Mann ki baat: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing radio programme Mann Ki Baat almost a month after he returned to power. This is first Mann ki Baat programme in his second consecutive term as the prime minister.
Here are highlights:
>> I have been missing #MannKiBaat.
>> This Sunday has made me wait so much.
>> This programme personifies the New India Spirit.
>> In this programme is the spirit of the strengths of 130 crore Indians
>> A lot of citizens also wrote to me that they miss #MannKiBaat.
>> If people share their problems, they also share ways to overcome those problems be it lack of cleanliness or aspects like environmental degradation
>> #MannKiBaat is enriched by many letters and mails that come.
11:03 Amid tight security 1st batch leaves for Amarnath yatra
Amid chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole", the first batch of 2,234 pilgrims left a base camp here for the Amarnath Yatra as the annual pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to begin Monday.
Over 1.5 lakh pilgrims from across the country have so far registered themselves for the 46-day long yatra, which takes place from the traditional 36-km Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Advisors to the Governor K K Sharma flagged off the first convoy of 93 vehicles including three motorcycles, carrying the pilgrims, at the heavily-guarded Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Kashmir in the early hours, asserting that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure peaceful and smooth yatra.
The yatra is officially starting from the twin tracks in Kashmir Monday and is scheduled to conclude on August 15 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
A total of 2234 pilgrims, including 17 children, left for the base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam and Baltal, the officials said.
While 1228 pilgrims including 130 women, seven children and 45 seers preferred the traditional Pahalgam route, 1006 devotees including 203 women and 10 children and are undertaking the yatra from Baltal side.
The batch of pilgrims will reach the two base camps by evening and will stay there overnight before leaving for the yatra, marking the commencement of the pilgrimage to shrine housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam.
"The yatra has commenced from here and all arrangements are in place throughout the route and we are sure that the yatra will take place smoothly," advisor Sharma told reporters.
As many as 2,85,006 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year, while the number of pilgrims was 3,52,771 in 2015, 3,20,490 in 2016 and 2,60,003 in 2017.
The Inspector General of CRPF, Jammu, A V Chauhan, said necessary security arrangements have been put in place all along the yatra route, base camps and halting stations for the safety of the pilgrims. -- PTI
10:47 Trump-Kim to meet in Demilitarized Zone today
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet United States President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean peninsula on Sunday, the South's President Moon Jae-in said.
"The leaders of the US and North Korea will have a handshake for peace standing at Panmunjom, the symbol of division," Moon said, referring to the "truce village" in the DMZ.
10:45 'Dangal' girl Zaira Wasim quits B'wood
National Award-winning actor Zaira Wasim on Sunday announced her "disassociation" from the field of acting, saying she was not happy with the line of work as it interfered with her faith and religion.
In a detailed post on her Facebook page, which she later shared across all social media platforms, the Kashmiri-born Dangal fame star said she realised "though I may fit here perfectly, I do not belong here".
"Five years ago I made a decision that changed my life forever. As I stepped my foot in Bollywood, it opened doors of massive popularity for me. I started to become the prime candidate of public attention, I was projected as the gospel of the idea of success and was often identified as a role model for the youth.
"However, that's never something that I set out to do or become, especially with regards to my ideas of success and failure, which I had just started to explore and understand," Wasim said in the lengthy post.
The 18-year-old actor said as she completed five years in the profession, she wanted to "confess that I am not truly happy with this identity i.e my line of work".
"For a very long time now it has felt like I have struggled to become someone else. As I had just started to explore and make sense of the things to which I dedicated my time, efforts and emotions and tried to grab hold of a new lifestyle, it was only for me to realise that though I may fit here perfectly, I do not belong here.
"This field indeed brought a lot of love, support, and applause my way, but what it also did was to lead me to a path of ignorance, as I silently and unconsciously transitioned out of 'imaan' (faith). While I continued to work in an environment that consistently interfered with my 'imaan', my relationship with my religion was threatened," she said.
Wasim said as she continued to "ignorantly pass through" while trying to convince herself that what she was doing was okay and was not really affecting her, "I lost all the 'Barakah' (blessing) from my life".
"I was constantly battling with my soul to reconcile my thoughts and instincts to fix a static picture of my 'imaan' and I failed miserably, not just once but a hundred times...
"I kept procrastinating by tricking and deluding my conscience into the idea that I know what I am doing doesn't feel right but assumed that I will put an end to this whenever the time feels right and I continued to put myself in a vulnerable position where it was always so easy to succumb to the environment that damaged my peace, 'imaan' and my relationship with Allah (God)," she said.
Talking about her life as an actor, she said she continued to observe things and twist her perceptions as she wanted them to be, without really understanding that the key was to see them as they were.
"In the great and divine wisdom of the Quran, I found sufficiency and peace. Indeed the hearts find peace when it acquires the knowledge of Its Creator, His Attributes, His Mercy and His commandments," she added.
Wasim said she began to heavily rely upon Allah's mercy for help and guidance instead of valuing her own believability.
"I discovered my lack of knowledge of the basic fundamentals of my religion and how my inability to reinforce a change earlier was a result of confusing my heart's contentment and well being with strengthening and satisfying my own (shallow and worldly) desires," she said.
The actor, who made her big Bollywood debut opposite superstar Aamir Khan in 2016, said she questioned the deepest sources of her ideas of success, meaning and the purpose of her life.
"The source code that governed and impacted my perceptions evolved into a different dimension. Success isn't correlated with our biased, delusional and conventional shallow measures of life. Success is the accomplishment of the purpose of our creation. We have forgotten the purpose we were created for as we ignorantly continue to pass through our lives; deceiving our conscience," she said.
Wasim said the journey has been "exhausting, to battle my soul for so long" and life was too short yet too long to be at war with oneself.
About announcing the decision on social media, the actor said she was openly doing so not to paint a holier picture of herself, but "this is the least I can do to start afresh".
"This is just my first step as I have arrived at the clarity of realisation of the path I wish to be on and strive for and during this time I may have consciously or unconsciously planted a seed of temptation in the hearts of many, but my sincere advice to everyone is that no amount of success, fame, authority or wealth is worth trading or losing your peace or the light of your 'imaan' for," she said.
Wasim will next be seen in The Sky is Pink, which also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Farhan Akhtar. The film completed shooting in March. -- PTI
09:51 PM Modi to visit Varanasi on July 6
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi on July 6.
The prime minister would launch the party's membership drive besides a tree plantation campaign, said Navratan Rathi, local media cell in-charge of the BJP.
The plantation drive will be held along the Panchkoshi route.
Around 10,000 students would join the PM, he said.
The BJP official said PM Modi would also address party workers at Rameshwaram on the outskirts of the city, for which preparations were in full swing.
Modi's Varanasi visit, second after winning the Lok Sabha elections, will coincide with the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
The BJP official said the party had decided to enrol at least 150 active members in every "mandal" during the membership drive.
The prime minister had visited his constituency on May 27 to thank voters for imposing faith in his government. -- PTI
09:50 Assault case: Vijayvargiya walks out of jail
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, who was arrested four days ago for assaulting a civic official in Indore, Madhya Pradesh with a cricket bat, was released from a local jail on Sunday morning.
He was released after his bail order from a court in Bhopal reached Indore.
The Bhopal-based court of additional sessions judge Suresh Singh on Saturday granted bail to the MLA, who is son of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, in the case of assault and in an earlier case where he was accused of staging an illegal protest.
He was asked to furnish a personal bail bond of Rs 50,000 in the case of assault and of Rs 20,000 in the other case.
Akash Vijayvargiya (34), a first-time MLA who represents Indore-3 Assembly segment, was caught on TV cameras assaulting municipal officer Dhirendra Singh Bais with a cricket bat last Wednesday while opposing demolition of a dilapidated house.
A magistrate's court had sent him in judicial custody till July 11 after his arrest, denying him bail.
08:57 PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' to re-start today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme "Mann Ki Baat" will resume today almost a month after his government returned to power.
This will be the first "Mann ki Baat" programme in Modi's second consecutive term as the Prime Minister.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to listen to the radio programme with other party workers at the Kakrola stadium in Delhi's Dwarka.
The PM had last spoken on the radio programme in the episode which aired in February this year.
He had expressed confidence of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's victory in the Lok Sabha elections and said the programme will return after the polls.
On June 15, PM Modi in a tweet said the programme was going to resume on June 30 at 11 am.
"30th June, Sunday at 11:00 AM... We will meet once again, thanks to the radio, share joy, positivity and celebrate the collective strength of 130 crore Indians. I am sure you have lots to say for #MannKiBaat. Share it on the NaMo App Open Forum," PM Modi had tweeted.
08:23 Encounter breaks out in J-K's Budgam
An encounter broke out Sunday between terrorists and security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Bugam area of Budgam district in central Kashmir Sunday morning following specific inputs about the presence of militants there, a police official said.
He said as the forces were conducting searches, the terrorists fired upon them.
The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter, the official said.
He said exchange of firing was going on and further details were awaited.
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