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Wed, 20 March 2019
Lion Air pilots were looking at handbook when plane crashed
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23:30 Is this an achievement? Who let him flee? Priyanka on Nirav arrest
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the BJP for taking credit for the arrest of bank-fraud accused Nirav Modi in London.
"Ye achievement hai (is this an achievement)? Jane kisne diya tha (who let him flee)?" Gandhi asked.
Nirav Modi, the main accused in the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank scam, has been arrested in London where a court on Wednesday remanded the fugitive diamantaire in custody till March 29, saying there are "substantial grounds" to believe that he would fail to surrender if granted bail.
Gandhi was speaking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli district after meeting the family of slain soldiers Awadhesh Yadav and Vishal Pandey, who were killed in the Pulwama attack last month.
The Congress general secretary said she had earlier spoken to the family members of the soldiers and had promised to meet them.
-- PTI
23:07 Lion Air pilots were looking at handbook when plane crashed
The pilots of the Lion Air Boeing 737 Max that crashed in Indonesia were searching a flight manual to try to find why the plane kept lurching downwards against their commands, according to reports of the cockpit voice recording.
The investigation into the crash, which killed all 189 people onboard last October, has become even more significant for Boeing and airlines due to its suspected links with the Ethiopian Airlines disaster, where 157 died on the same model of plane.
Ethiopias government and French accident investigators have said flight data shows clear similarities between the two 737 Max crashes.
According to sources who spoke to Reuters, the voice recordings from Lion Air yet to be officially released show the captain asked the first officer to check the flight manual within minutes of takeoff as they struggled to control the aircraft.
The captain was at the controls of Lion Air flight JT610 when the 737 Max took off from Jakarta. Two minutes into the flight, the first officer reported a flight control problem to air traffic control. The sources said airspeed was mentioned on the cockpit voice recording, and that an indicator showed a problem on the captains display but not the first officers.
The pilots looked through the handbook containing checklists for abnormal events, as the jet incorrectly alerted pilots it was in a stall, pushing the nose down an automated response built into the software as part of the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system anti-stall system in the 737 Max.
As the captain fought to climb, the computer continued to push the nose down. They didnt seem to know the trim was moving down, the third source said. They thought only about airspeed and altitude. That was the only thing they talked about.
22:34 Nirav Modi in possession of three passports
Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, arrested by Scotland Yard on behalf of the Indian authorities, was in possession of three passports, it emerged when he was produced before the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Wednesday.
The 48-year-old's defence team, led by barrister George Hepburne Scott, told the court about the existence of the multiple travel documents during his plea for bail, which was rejected by District Judge Marie Mallon.
The passports, since revoked by the Indian authorities, include one now in possession of the Metropolitan Police, a second expired passport lying with the UK Home Office and a third with the UK's Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
Besides the passports, the court was told that Modi possessed multiple residency cards, some of them expired, but covering countries/regions such as the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong.
"He is the opposite of a flight risk and demonstrably so, given his keenness to fully cooperate with the [UK] authorities, claimed Scott, while offering to surrender all residency and travel documents.
It remained unclear how Modi, wanted on fraud and money laundering charges amounting to $2 billion, came to be in possession of multiple passports.
In her decision to turn down Modi's bail plea, the judge noted that he possessed the means to acquire further travel documents and therefore there are "substantial grounds" to believe he may not surrender before the court if granted bail.
-- PTI
22:08 Extradition process against Mehul Choksi on
The extradition process against absconding diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi has begun in Antigua, official sources said on Wednesday.
They said Indian investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation have sent across documents to authorities in that country to peruse and send back Choksi to India, accused in the $2 billion PNB fraud case along with his nephew Nirav Modi and others.
Nirav Modi was arrested by the London police on Tuesday as part of a similar extradition request India sent against him to the United Kingdom authorities.
The extradition process against Choksi is on and we are hopeful of a positive response from the authorities of Antigua and Barbuda, they said.
The legal processes are on and the probe agencies are looking forward to the next intimation by the authorities of that country, they added.
Choksi took Antiguan citizenship last year after he surrendered his Indian passport.
In August last year, India handed over Antigua a request for Choksi's extradition.
The businessman, who left India last year, is wanted by the CBI and the ED, which are probing the PNB fraud case, the biggest banking scam in the country.
-- PTI
21:38 Theresa May asks the EU to delay Brexit until June 30
British Prime Minister Theresa May formally asked the European Union on Wednesday to postpone Britains departure from the bloc due in nine days until June 30. But an exasperated EU said Britain would have to accept either a shorter delay or a much longer one.
In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, May said the Brexit process clearly will not be completed before 29 March, 2019 the date fixed in law two years ago for Britains departure.
She asked for a delay until June 30, and said she wanted to set out her reasons to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
21:06 Pak summons Indian envoy to protest acquittal of Samjhauta blast case suspects
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the Indian High Commissioner to lodge a strong protest against the acquittal of all four accused, including Swami Aseemanand in the 2007 Samjhauta terror attacks that left 68 people, mostly Pakistanis, dead.
A special court in Panchkula in Haryana acquitted Aseemanand and three others in the case.
The verdict came after NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh dismissed the plea filed by a Pakistani woman for examining eyewitnesses from her country, saying it was "devoid of any merit".
Pakistan's Acting Foreign Secretary summoned Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria today to lodge Pakistan's strong protest, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The Acting Foreign Secretary stressed that Pakistan had consistently raised the "lack of progress and the subsequent, concerted attempts by India to exonerate the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist act in which 44 innocent Pakistanis lost their lives". The issue was raised repeatedly, including at the sidelines of the Senior Officials, Heart of Asia Meeting in 2016. Formal demarches were also lodged regularly with India on the lack of progress and acquittal of the accused in other cases, the statement said.
The blast in Samjhauta Express took place near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007, when the train was on its way to Attari in Amritsar, the last railway station on the Indian side.
-- PTI
20:49 Kamal Haasan releases first list of candidates
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan released the first list of 21 candidates from his party Makkal Needhi Maiam on Wednesday, but kept up the suspense on whether he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Announcing the first candidates list, Haasan said observers would have to watch out for the partys final list on March 24 to see whether he would contest or not.
All speculation about me contesting will be put to rest on the 24th. Yes, I wish to contest in the elections, but my partymen need to tell me that. I need to take their advice," he said.
Sources from the party said a section of the members want him to contest in the Lok Sabha elections while another wants him to fight assembly polls. The final decision will be taken by March 23, sources added.
The MNM will also release the party manifesto on March 24. When asked for views on the manifestos released by the AIADMK and the DMK, Haasan said the promises made by both parties are really old.
20:32
Nirav Modi has been sent to HM Prison Wandsworth after his bail plea was rejected by London Court. Nirav Modi to be in custody till March 29
20:09 Baby Diana? Or little Arthur? Bets on for royal baby name
What will Britains Prince Harry and his wife Meghan name their child? With the former actress in the last stage of her pregnancy, punters are having a flutter on the babys gender, weight, date and birthplace.
One of the most popular wagers is for the name. For a boy, Arthur is leading the pack at bookmakers William Hill but if its a girl, many expect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could pay tribute to Harrys late mother.
Diana (is) 10/1 red hot favourite, no great surprises there, William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said. But the recent move is for Victoria also 10/1, (people) really like it.
Queen Elizabeths grandson and his American wife, who married last May, announced in October they were expecting their first child this spring.
19:43 'All is well in mahagathbandhan, candidates to be announced after Holi'
The grand-alliance of opposition parties in Bihar is intact and its candidates for all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be announced after Holi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Wednesday.
"All is well in 'mahagathbandhan'. It is intact and strong and we will put up a strong fight at the hustings. All differences have been ironed out. We will announce our candidates after Holi," Yadav said.
RJD, he said, would be staying away from Holi celebrations this year as a mark of respect for the jawans killed in the Pulwama attack.
Sharad Yadav, whose Loktantrik Janata Dal is one of the constituents of the grand-alliance, was more specific on the date of announcement of candidates. Candidates will be announced at a press meet in Patna on March 22, he told reporters in the national capital.
Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader from Bihar, who is camping in the national capital, said on condition of anonymity, that reports of his party having agreed to contest only nine seats are "mischievous".
"Our state election committee had met in Patna last week and authorised Rahul Gandhi to take the final decision in the matter. There has been no communication within the party about the number of seats. The media reports are, at best, speculative," he said.
Asked how many seats the Congress would want to contest, he said, "Initially we wanted 15. Later on it was agreed to scale down. But we do not think a number less than 11 would be acceptable to even Rahul Gandhi."
"Gandhi is likely to kick off his campaign in Bihar with a rally in Purnea on March 23. There is a possibility that former BJP MP Uday Singh, who joined the Congress today, will be fielded from there on a Congress ticket. It is also almost final that actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha will be fielded from his Patna Sahib seat on our ticket. His resignation from the BJP and induction into the Congress will take place in a few days," he said.
The Darbhanga seat has become a bone of contention between the Congress and RJD. While, the Congress wants to field Kirti Azad, who had won the seat five years ago on a BJP ticket, the RJD wants it too.
"The seat is a stronghold of Mohd Ali Ashraf Fatmi of the RJD, who wants a ticket again. That too remains to be sorted out," the Congress leader added.
-- PTI
19:19
Sudin Dhavalikar, Vijai Sardesai appointed Goa deputy chief ministers.
19:11 Man sacked, deported from UAE for celebrating New Zealand shooting
A company in the United Arab Emirates said an employee was fired and deported after he allegedly celebrated the mass killing of Muslims in New Zealand last week.
At least 50 people were killed and dozens wounded by a lone gunman at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday in what is the countrys worst modern mass shooting.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist who was living in New Zealand, was charged with murder on Saturday.
Over the weekend, a Transguard employee made inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook account celebrating the deplorable mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, security company Transguard said in a statement on Tuesday.
We have a zero-tolerance policy for the inappropriate use of social media, and as a result this individual was immediately terminated and turned over to the authorities to face justice, Managing Director Greg Ward said.
The company said the employee was deported by the UAE government.
18:48 Data suggests Mirage 2000 crash was due to technical malfunction
Black box data of the Mirage 2000 that crashed in Bengaluru on February 1 killing two Indian Air Force pilots has suggested that it was not due to pilot error and indicated towards technical malfunction related to sensors, according to the ministry of defence sources.
The Court of Inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident is still underway.
India had sent the black box of the ill-fated Mirage 2000 to France to ascertain the reason for the mishap.
IAF pilots Squadron Leaders Siddhartha Negi and Samir Abrol lost their lives when Mirage 2000 crashed at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport on February 1 after the aircraft allegedly experienced a technical snag immediately after takeoff.
Although one of the two pilots managed to eject from the plane, he fell and lost his life.
The other pilot was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The IAF also nominated Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari of the National Flight Test Centre to ensure a fair probe in the Court of Inquiry conducted jointly with the HAL.
Sources in the air force had said the crash happened right after the plane was upgraded by the HAL.
-- ANI
Image: Smoke and fire billow after an Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft crashed in Bengaluru. Photograph: Ismail Shakil/Reuters
18:28 Nirav Modi's bail denied, will be in custody till March 29
The Westminster court has denied bail to Nirav Modi; the fugitive jeweller will be in jail till March 29.
Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi, prime accused in the Rs 13,000-crore PNB fraud case, was earlier arrested in in central London's Holborn area.
Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the prime accused in the bank scam involving fake guarantees in the name of the state-run lender PNB to secure loans overseas. Both left India in January last year before the CBI started investigating the PNB scam.
Earlier this month, Nirav Modi was seen walking in London by a reporter of British newspaper The Telegraph. In a two-minute clip shared by the newspaper, the billionaire, was seen wearing a much-talked about expensive ostrich hide jacket, repeatedly said "no comments".
18:06 Priyanka concludes Ganga Yatra
Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday culminated her three-day Ganga Yatra by offering prayers at Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi parliamentary constituency, is the last leg in Priyanka's three-day boat yatra.
Earlier in the day, she also performed Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. On the second day of the yatra, she visited Vindhyachal, Bhadohi and Mirzapur. At Mirzapur, the crowd chanted 'Har-Har Modi' when she visited the temple.
During her yatra, she undertook a 140 kilometres long journey on a steamer boat from Prayagraj to Varanasi.
Image: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Varanasi. Pic: Sandeep Pal.
17:55 Samjhauta blast: All 4 accused acquitted
Samjhauta Blast Case: All four accused -- Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary -- have been acquitted by the Special NIA Court in Panchkula.
A special NIA court on Wednesday acquitted all four accused in the Samjhauta Blast case. The court in Panchkula also dismissed the application seeking permission for deposition of Pakistani witnesses in the case.
The application was filed by a Pakistan resident Rahila Wakil on March 11 through advocate Momin Malik.
At least 68 people were killed in the 2007 Samjhauta Express IED blasts. A total of 43 Pakistan citizens were killed in the terrorist attack. The trial has been going on since 2010 at the Panchkula NIA court and around 224 witnesses out of the total 299 have deposed before the court.
Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, who was the prime accused in the case and three other accused -- Kamal Chauhan, Rajinder Chaudhary and Lokesh Sharma, are currently in Central Jail Ambala.
17:44 Every Indian is saying 'Main Bhi Chowkidar': PM tells security guards
PM Narendra Modi's audio interaction with security guards across the country has begun. The interaction with security guards is via audio bridge. "Maximum languages across the world have understood the word 'Chowkidaar', it seems as if they all have accepted it in their vocabulary.
"You must have noticed that these days everywhere it is you who is being discussed, be it TV or social media, be it in India or abroad.
"Today every Indian is saying 'Main bhi Chowkidaar'. I want to apologise as some people in last few months for their vested interests have run a disinformation campaign against 'chowkidaars'. It is unfortunate that language of these people has hurt you."
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday stepped up its Main bhi chowkidar campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders, including its President Amit Shah, prefixing the word 'chowkidar' to their names in their Twitter profile as they sought peoples support in the Lok Sabha elections.
The party leaders also put out short advertisement videos showing that people from different walks of life have turned chowkidars to do their bit for the country like Modi.
Modi's Twitter profile identified him as Chowkidar Narendra Modi and similar was the case with other BJP leaders as they launched a coordinated campaign.
17:24 Nirav Modi's 173 paintings, 11 cars to be sold
The Enforcement Directorate will sell 173 paintings and 11 vehicles "beneficially owned" by Nirav Modi after it obtained permission from a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday, officials said.
The same court, they said, also issued a non-bailable warrant against his wife Ami after the ED recently filed a supplementary charge sheet underlining her role in the USD 2 billion PNB scam.
The ED will put on sale the 173 paintings of Modi which are valued at Rs 57.72 crore and eleven vehicles that include Rolls Royce, Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota Fortuner.
A public auction will be held later this month, the officials said.
The court, they said, also allowed the Income Tax Department to sell another 68 paintings seized by it as part of its separate probe against the absconding diamantaire.
Modi was arrested by the Scotland Yard from the Holborn area of London on Wednesday.
-- PTI
17:16 EU fines Google 1.49 billion for anti-trust breach
The EU's powerful anti-trust regulator has slapped tech giant Google with a new fine over unfair competition, in Europe's latest salvo against Silicon Valley.
"Today the commission has fined Google 1.49 billion (Rs 1,164 crore) for illegal misuse of its dominant position in the market for the brokering of online search adverts," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
16:53
Kazakhstan officially renames capital after ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev: State media
16:52 Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi produced in court in UK
Nirav Modi has been produced in London's Westminster Court.
Fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, the main accused in the PNB scam case, was arrested in London on Wednesday by Scotland Yard, two days after the Westminster Court issued a warrant against him.
"Nirav Deepak Modi, 48 (Date of Birth 24.02.71), was arrested on behalf of the Indian Authorities on Tuesday, 19 March, in Holborn," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. "He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 20 March," the statement added.
The case will now follow a similar pattern through the UK courts as that of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, who remains on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April 2017 on fraud and money laundering charges.
ED officials had said that a London court has issued an arrest warrant against Modi, the main accused in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB scam case, in response to the probe agency's request for his extradition in a money laundering case.
The CBI and the ED are investigating Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others for alleged money laundering and corruption to perpetrate the alleged scam in the Brady House branch of the PNB in Mumbai that was unearthed last year.
16:08 BJP will send Nirav Modi back after elections: Cong
The Congress reacts to the arrest of Nirav Modi. The party's senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "They had helped him flee the country, now they are bringing him back. They are bringing him back for the elections, they will send him back after elections."
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also reacted to the arrest saying, "It's amusing to see the BJP falling over itself to credit the PM with the Nirav Modi arrest while completely ignoring the fact that it was The Telegraph of London & it's correspondent who found Nirav Modi, not the PM & his agencies."
Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion PNB scam case, has been arrested in London, Scotland Yard said Wednesday, in a major boost to India's efforts to bring back the fugitive diamantaire.
The arrest came days after a London court issued an arrest warrant against him in response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate for his extradition in a money laundering case.
"Nirav Deepak Modi, (Date of Birth 24.02.71), was arrested on behalf of the Indian Authorities on Tuesday, 19 March, in Holborn," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
"He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 20 March," the statement added.
The location of the arrest indicates that Nirav Modi, wanted in India in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank scam case, was arrested from where he is believed to have been living in a plush apartment in Centre Point in the West End.
15:45 Omar: Amusing to see PM get credit for Modi's arrest
Omar Abdullah reacts to Nirav Modi's arrest: "It's amusing to see the BJP falling over itself to credit the PM with the Nirav Modi arrest while completely ignoring the fact that it was The Telegraph of London & it's correspondent who found Nirav Modi, not the PM & his agencies."
15:41 Nirav Modi arrested from London metro station
Update on the arrest of fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi: The UK Police says that Modi was arrested from London's Holborn metro station.
15:20 Nirav Modi arrested, to be produced in London court today
Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi has been arrested and is likely to be produced before the Westminster Court in London. The court issued a warrant to arrest the diamantaire who is accused in a Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.
The order came in response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate for his extradition to India to face charges in the money laundering case, officials said Monday.
They said the investigative agency has been recently informed about the issuance of the warrant by the Westminster Magistrate Court against Modi and he is expected to be put under formal arrest by the London Metropolitan police soon.
Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly cheating PNB, India's second largest lender, to the tune of more than Rs 13,000 crore.
The duo and others are also being probed by other central agencies after the fraud came to light this year following a complaint by PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank. Both Nirav Modi and Choksi fled the country before criminal cases were lodged against them.
14:55 Cong finalises alliance with NC
Congress has finalised alliance with National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir. Ghulam Nabi Azad. NC chief Farooq Abdullah said that Jammu and Udhampur will be contested by the Congress, while he would contest from Srinagar. There will be a friendly contest between NC and Congress in Anantnag and Baramulla. The Ladakh seat is under discussion.
14:35 The best kind of Holi
Ayodhya case litigants Iqbal Ansari and Mahant Dharamdas play Holi in Ayodhya.
14:30 Rahul: Where's the proof PM went to university?
Rahul Gandhi interacting with students in Imphal attacks PM Modi:
Demonetisation: The PM bypassed the RBI and carried out demonetisation. These are just ad-hoc decisions he takes.
Self promotion: Instead of calling it the Prime Minister's Office, it should be called the Publicity Minister's Office. Basically that is all he is interested in.
Educational qualifications: We still have not had access to PM's university degree. Nobody actually knows whether the Prime Minister went to a university or not. There is an RTI filed in Delhi asking for PM's university degree but it has not been responded to.
The Congress president also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of destroying 1 crore jobs in 2018 alone despite promising to create 2 crore jobs annually. Addressing a public rally in the Manipur capital, Gandhi said the job losses under the Modi government were to the tune of 30,000 per day through 2018.
"In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi destroyed 1 crore jobs in the country. This is the scale of his incompetence. It is absurd and ridiculous that the PM promises giving 2 crore jobs," Gandhi alleged. Slamming the Centre's demonetisation move of 2016, Gandhi said it shattered people's lives.
"One fine morning, he (Modi) got up and decided to carry out demonetisation. Is this a joke? Destroying people's lives," he said. Gandhi claimed that whenever the prime minister visited Manipur, he "insulted your culture, your history".
"His (party) president (Amit Shah) says Citizenship Amendment Bill will be imposed on the people of Manipur and the Northeast. These people are attacking your culture. We did not allow the bill to pass. The Congress will defend your culture and the bill will not be passed," he told a huge gathering. Gandhi alleged Modi did not match words with action when he said "don't look east but act east".
13:52 Priyanka's Varanasi outreach ends with aarti at ghat
Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spent some time at Assi Ghat in Varanasi for her 'Ganga Yatra' campaign. She started her campaign from Manaiya ghat in Prayagraj. She also performed 'aarti' at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi.
The Congress leader, who is in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, is on a three-day boat journey down the Ganga, meeting people living on the banks of the holy river as part of her outreach ahead of the general election beginning on April 11.
"The prime minister has attacked every institution in this country for the last five years, including the institution of which all of you are a part," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters.
"So I think the PM should stop thinking that people are fools and understand that they see through all this," she added. The Congress general secretary went on to say that she is not afraid of being "harassed".
"Even if anything is done, and we are harassed, we will not feel afraid. We will continue our fight against them. The more we are harassed, the stronger will be our fight," she said.
Speaking at a 'chaupal' near a temple in the city late last evening, Gandhi blamed the Modi government for "not doing anything" for the development of the country. "This government has given only lollipops," she charged. She said politics should be done for the development of the country. "If the Congress is voted to power, it would work for farmers and the poor," she asserted.
13:31 PMO now 'Publicity Minister's Office': Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has relegated the PMO to a "Publicity Minister's Office" by indulging in "mediocrity" in a highly sophisticated country.
Gandhi, who arrived in Imphal on Tuesday evening from Arunachal Pradesh, was interacting with the students of Manipur State Film Development Society in the state capital.
"The Prime Minister's Office is now Publicity Minister's Office," Gandhi told the students. He said the Congress doesn't believe in "cultural imperialism" and it is of the view that one part of the country should not rule other parts as each state has its own voice which should be respected.
However, this was not the case with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
"Every part of the country should be allowed to express itself. The BJP-RSS combination wants to impose one idea and crush other ideas. Their heavy-handedness is seen whenever there are protests," he said. -- PTI
13:21 And the numbers are in for the floor test
Update on the Goa assembly floor test: 20 MLAs voted for the motion (11 BJP, 3 Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, 3 Goa Forward Party, and 3 Independents) and 15 MLAs voted against the motion (14 Congress and 1 NCP) in the Goa assembly.
13:05 BJP+ wins floor test in Goa
Goa CM Pradeep Sawant wins the floor test in the state assembly after 20 MLAs voted in his favor. The new BJP-led government in Goa faced the floor test in the state assembly today to prove its majority just a day after Speaker Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister with an unprecedented two deputies past midnight capping a frenetic day of political wrangling.
12:37 One convicted in Godhra train burning case
2002 Godhra train burning case: A Special SIT Court in Ahmedabad sentences convict Yakub Pataliya to life imprisonment.
12:22 Goa Assembly floor test begins
Goa Assembly session for BJP-led govt's floor test begins. Pramod Sawant has to prove majority in the House a day after being sworn in Goa CM. Sawant said he was 100 per cent confident he will the floor test.
The new BJP-led government in Goa will face the floor test in the state Assembly today to prove its majority just a day after Speaker Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister with an unprecedented two deputies past midnight capping a frenetic day of political wrangling.
11:56 Helping hand
Doctors created a new hand from the abdomen of a hockey player after an accident nearly threatened him with amputation.
Archana Masih/Rediff.com spends time at the hospital that draws patients from all over India giving them hope by saving limbs and wants you to know that when you donate skin you save a life.
Read the report here.
11:43 Naveen Patnaik files nomination
Odisha CM and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik files his nomination for the Hinjili assembly constituency at Sub-Collector office, Chatrapur in Ganjam district.
11:26 100% confident we will win floor test: Goa CM
Goa Chief Minister and BJP leader Pramod Sawant says he is 100 per cent confident they will the floor test. The new BJP-led government in Goa will face the floor test in the state Assembly today to prove its majority just a day after Speaker Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister with an unprecedented two deputies past midnight capping a frenetic day of political wrangling.
The government claims majority with the support of 21 MLAs -- 12 from the BJP, three each of allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents.
The strength of the 40-member House has been reduced to 36 following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte. Sawant, a two-time MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa, was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan at 1.50 am.
11:10 Priyanka to PM: Indians are not fools
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on PM Narendra Modi's tweet that the biggest casualty of dynastic politics are institutions: "The BJP has systematically attacked every institution in the last five years including the media. PM should stop thinking people are fools and understand that they see through this."
Narendra Modi tweeted this morning to say:
"The biggest casualty of dynastic politics are institutions.
From the press to Parliament.
From soldiers to free speech.
From the Constitution to the courts.
Nothing is spared.
Sharing some thoughts."
He added a link to a blog saying "India voted to shed the baggage of the past in pursuit of a better future. The mandate of 2014 was epoch-making also because it was for the first time in the history of India that a non-dynastic party was blessed with a complete majority. When a Government works with the spirit of 'India First' instead of 'Family First', it shows in its working."
Tariq Anwar of the Congress also reacted to PM's tweet, saying, "Narendra Modiji is saying this as he does not come from a dynasty. How can one who who does not come from a dynasty say this? Tell me one profession where dynasty is not encouraged."
10:20 LS poll: Tough road ahead for Sujay Vikhe Patil in BJP
Though the Congress faced embarrassment when its senior leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son joined the BJP, it would also not be a cakewalk for Sujay Vikhe Patil in the Lok Sabha poll, feel political observers.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently said he will recommend the name of Sujay Vikhe Patil, a neurosurgeon, as the BJP candidate from Ahmednagar seat, but the road ahead would be tough for him, they say.
This is so because, according to them, former Union minister and sitting BJP MP from Ahmednagar, Dilip Gandhi, enjoys the support of Jain community members, numbering around 1.75 lakh, in the constituency.
They say there are also murmurs in Ahmednagar that the BJP would give ticket to Sujay Vikhe Patil from the seat provided his parents, both of whom are Congress leaders, also join the the saffron party.
Sujay Vikhe Patil joined the BJP after the NCP refused to exchange the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat with the Congress. As per the current seat-sharing formula between the two opposition parties, the Congress will contest the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat (previously known as Ahmednagar-North), while the NCP will field its candidate in Ahmednagar (previously Ahmednagar-South).
The NCP is likely to give ticket to its Ahmednagar MLA Sangram Jagtap or his father Arun Jagtap, who is an MLC. Incidentally, Sangram Jagtap is the son-in-law of BJP MLA from Rahuri, Shivajirao Kardile.
09:48 Burn in hell
An effigy of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar ahead of Holi. The effigy will be burnt tonight. Azhar was the mastermind of the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 44 CRPF personnel on February 14.
09:43 Dharwad building collapse: Death toll mounts to 3
The death toll rose to three on Wednesday in an under-construction building collapse in Dharwad's Kumareshwar Nagar on Tuesday evening, a senior official said. Dharwad Deputy Commissioner Deepa Cholan told ANI that three persons have been killed in the incident. "At least 43 people have been admitted to the Civil hospital while 13 people have been referred to KIMS and SDM hospitals," District Surgeon Giridhar Kuknoor said.
Rescue operation is still underway. An NDRF team is also participating in the operation.
Image: NDRF personnel at the site of the building collapse in Dharwad. Pic: ANI
09:13 LS poll: Congress releases 6th list of candidates
The Congress has released its sixth list of nine candidates, seven from Maharashtra and two from Kerala, for the Lok Sabha election.
With this, it has released names of 146 candidates for the election starting on April 11.
In Kerala, the Congress announced that Shanimol Usman will be the candidate from Alappuzha seat and Adoor Prakash from Attingal seat.
The Alappuzha seat is currently represented by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who has decided to opt out of the contest citing organisational work.
In Maharashtra, the party has fielded K C Padavi from Nandurbar, Kunal Rohidas Patil from Dhule, Charulata Khajasingh Tokas from Vardha, Manikrao G Thakarey from Yavatmal-Washim, Eknath Gaikwad from Mumbai-South Central, Bhausahib Kamble from Shirdi and Navinchandra Bandivadekar from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
The list was cleared late Tuesday night after a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee chaired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. -- PTI
08:59 Trump accuses social media companies of discriminating against Republicans
United States President Donald Trump has accused social media companies of discriminating against Republicans, saying it is a "very dangerous situation" and something should be done about it.
"We have to do something," Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
"It's a very, very dangerous situation. I think something has to be looked at very closely," he said in response to a question.
The US president said the situation on social media was different that it used to be. "It seems to be, if they're conservative, if they're Republicans, if they're in a certain group, there's discrimination and big discrimination. I see it absolutely on Twitter and Facebook... and others," he alleged.
Twitter and Facebook combined, Trump has around 100 million followers. "I get to see firsthand what's going on, and it's not good," he said.
"We use the word 'collusion' very loosely all the time. I will tell you, there is collusion with respect to that, because something has to be going on," the US president said.
Trump said that something was happening with the people running Facebook and Google and Twitter. "I do think we have to get to the bottom of it. It's collusive, and it's very, very fair to say that we have to do something about it," he added. -- PTI
08:28 Pramod Sawant-led Goa govt to face floor test today
The new Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Goa will face the floor test today, to prove its majority just a day after speaker Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister with an unprecedented two deputies past midnight capping a frenetic day of political wrangling.
The government claims majority with the support of 21 MLAs -- 12 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, three each of allies Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three Independents.
Governor Mridula Sinha has convened a special session of the assembly at 11.30 am to enable the chief minister to prove his majority in the House, an official said.
The strength of the 40-member House has been reduced to 36 following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte.
00:35 US to begin accepting H-1B applications from April 1
The United States will start accepting applications for H-1B visas for the next fiscal year from April 1, the federal immigration agency said on Tuesday and announced the launch of a new data hub to increase the transparency of the work visa programme popular among Indian IT companies and professionals.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the new H-1B Employer Data Hub. It will be available on uscis.gov on April 1.
The data hub is part of the USCIS' continued effort to increase the transparency of the H-1B programme by allowing the public to search for H-1B petitioners by fiscal year, NAICS (the North American Industry Classification System) industry code, company name, city, state, or zip code.
This will give the public the ability to calculate approval and denial rates and to review which employers are using the H-1B program, it said.
Simultaneously, the USCIS said the premium processing will be offered in a two-phased approach during the next 2020 cap season.
The fiscal year 2020 begins October 1.
The first phase will include 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions requesting a change of status and the second phase will include all other fiscal 2020 cap-subject petitions, USCIS said.
"The USCIS continually strives to improve the administration of the H-1B program and make it work better for employers, our agency, and US workers," said USCIS Director L Francis Cissna.
"We are also committed to fulfilling the president's Buy American and Hire American executive order, one of the principal goals of which is to protect the interests of US workers in the administration of our immigration system, in part by promoting the proper functioning of the H-1B visa programme,' he said. -- PTI
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