LIVE! New Zealand mosque reopens to worshippers

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Sat, 23 March 2019

New Zealand mosque reopens to worshippers

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21:00 New Zealand mosque reopens to worshippers

Worshippers have returned to the Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch for the first time since a mass shooting there in which dozens of people were killed.

The building had closed so police could investigate the attack but on Saturday small groups were allowed to return.

Fifty people were killed in shootings at two mosques on 15 March.

As the Al Noor mosque reopened, some 3,000 people walked through Christchurch for a 'march for love' intended to honour victims.

Many walked in silence and some carried placards calling for peace and opposing racism.

"We feel like hate has brought a lot of darkness at times," said Manaia Butler, a 16-year-old student who helped to organise the march. "Love is the strongest cure to light the city out of that darkness," she said.

Australian Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist, has been charged with one murder in connection with the attacks and he is expected to face further charges.

20:46

BJP appoints Union minister Uma Bharti as party vice president.

20:34

BJP's Jayant Sinha to contest from Hazaribagh, Anurag Thakur to contest from Hamirpur

20:20 Advani deliberately removed, Amit Shah no match for him: Shatrughan Sinha

Rebel BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership for fielding party chief Amit Shah in place of LK Advani from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"It's worrisome, painful and according to some people, even shameful... that which your people have done was the most expected and awaited....orchestrating the departure of a most respected friend, philosopher, guide, father figure and ultimate leader of the party Shri. LK Advani, from the political arena/ election," Shatrughan Sinha said in a series of tweets.

"That too through the replacement of Mr Advani by none other than the man who is also the President of the party but whose image or personality is no match nor a patch on him. This has been done deliberately and intentionally and hasn't gone down well with the people of the country," Shatrughan Sinha tweeted.

"He is a father figure and no one can approve of such a treatment to a father figure. What you and your people have done with me, is still tolerable. I'm able and capable of answering your people back in the same coin. Remember Newton's third law...every action has an equal and opposite reaction. And I am capable of paying back," Shatrughan Sinha said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the NDA announced its candidate list for 39 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Shatrughan Sinha, who has often criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership, was dropped from the list. The BJP fielded Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib, a seat presently held by the rebel BJP MP.

Shatrughan Sinha, however, has not reacted to the development but only went on to critise the prime minister for "deliberately orchestrating the departure of ultimate party leader LK Advani".

The Bharatiya Janta Party on Saturday questioned Congress president Rahul Gandhi about his source of income while alleging that his assets have grown from Rs 55,38,123 in 2004 to Rs 9 crore in 2014.

"In 2004, Rahul declared in election affidavit that his income is Rs 55,38,123. This became Rs 2 crore in 2009 and Rs 9 crore in 2014 elections. Rahul Gandhi, please tell us what is this model of development? What is the ostensible source of income that from a mere Rs 55.38 lakh in 2004, your asset grew to Rs 9 crore in 2014?" Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while addressing a press conference here.

"BJP would like to know, what were those factors which led to an extraordinary jump in Rahul's income from mere 55 lakhs to 9 crore?" the Union minister added.

Taking a jibe at the Gandhi family, Prasad said, "There is a lot of discussion on development. We have seen a Vadra model of development where you invest Rs 6-7 lakh and become the owner of Rs 700-800 crore in two-three years. Now, we are also seeing a Rahul model of development. Rahul is an MP and his source of income is the salary of a parliamentarian. There is no other visible source of income from him."

The Union minister even levelled allegations against Rahul's sister and the eastern UP general secretary of the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi.

"Rahul and Priyanka own a 4.5-acre farmhouse which they had rented to Financial Technologies of India, the same company which was issued show cause notice in the case related to National Spot Exchange Limited. NSEL was promoted by Financial Technologies of India. FTIL issued an interest-free cheque of Rs 40 lakh," Prasad alleged.

-- ANI

Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. The party also decided not to field any nominees from Udhampur and Jammu constituencies.

The former J-K chief minister announced her decision to contest in the upcoming parliamentary elections from South Kashmir constituency at a press conference on Saturday.

Mufti has represented the Anantnag constituency on two previous occasions: from 2004 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2018.

PDP has already announced Qayoom Wani as the candidate from Baramulla constituency.

The party has earlier dismissed all reports of an alliance with the Congress and said the party is preparing to contest all the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir.

Telugu Desam leaders in Andhra Pradesh were left red faced after a glaring blooper in the election nomination papers submitted by party president N Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh went viral on the social media on Saturday.

In one of the annexures to the Chief Ministers nomination papers, Kharjura Naidu has been named as Chandrababu Naidu's 'husband' instead of father.

And the same mistake was committed in Lokesh's papers, where Chandrababu Naidu was named as his 'husband'.

-- PTI

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, along with smaller parties, on Saturday sealed their seat-sharing agreement for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Announcing the break-up, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and state Congress chief Ashok Chavan, "Congress will contest on 24 seats, NCP on 20 seats, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi on one seat, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana on two seats and Yuva Swabhimani Paksha on one seat."

The finalising of the seat-sharing deal comes days after NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that he will not contest in the impending Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, the Congress has announced candidates for 12 seats and NCP for 16 seats in Maharashtra.

On February 18, the BJP and its NDA ally Shiv Sena had announced the seat-sharing deal in the state. According to the agreement, the BJP will fight on 25 seats and Shiv Sena on 23 seats.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 seats while the Shiv Sena garnered 18 seats. The NCP and Congress won just four and two seats, respectively.

Maharashtra will go to polls in the first four phases, beginning April 11. Results will be announced on May 23.

-- ANI

18:48

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Jammu-Kashmir's Poonch district around 5:30 pm today. Indian Army retaliating.

18:45 They thrashed me with sticks and hurled abuses: Gurugram victim

Samaira, one of the victims of Gurugram incident in which a family was beaten up mercilessly, has said the attackers armed with sticks and rods told them not to play cricket on Holi.

"They broke windows and doors, and thrashed our family brutally," she said while describing the grievous incident in Bhondsi on Friday.

"We were making food for some guests when suddenly the attackers entered our home. They thrashed me with sticks and hurled abuses when I tried to stop them," said Samaira.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media now.

Dilshad, another victim, said: "We love India. It is grievous when someone says to Muslims that they should go back to Pakistan. Hindus and Muslims are brothers. Whether Hindu or Muslim, we are Indians."

"We tried to close the gate, but she thrashed my aunt. They also thrashed my brothers and uncles. I was crying and pleading but no one came to our rescue," said Danishtha who filmed the incident.

-- ANI

18:15 MNS threatens agitation against Modi biopic

The MNS on Saturday threatened to stall the release of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming it violated the model code of conduct for the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

'PM Narendra Modi', directed by Omung Kumar with Vivek Oberoi in the lead, is set for a theatrical release on April

The film also stars Boman Irani, Manoj Joshi, Zarina Wahab and Prashant Narayanan.

In a statement, MNS general secretary Shalini Thackeray said party chief Raj Thackeray had last year stated that the BJP was sponsoring movies like 'Toilet-Ek Prem Katha' and 'Padman' to promote its government's schemes.

"Not even a year has passed and the BJP has added another feather to its cap," she said, referring to the biopic on the PM.

Stating that it should not be allowed to release, Thackeray also slammed the makers of the movie for giving credit for lyrics to Javed Akhtar and Sameer.

Both the noted Bollywood lyricists have publicly claimed that they have not contributed in any way to the Modi biopic.

-- PTI

The BCCI on Saturday contributed Rs 20 crore, the budget earmarked for the IPL opening ceremony, to the funds of the Armed Forces and CRPF.

The Committee of Administrators, running the BCCI, had decided to cancel the glitzy opening ceremony in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

"It was unanimously decided that a sum of Rs 11 crore be contributed to the Indian Army, Rs 7 crore to the CRPF and Rs 1 crore each to the Navy and Air Force respectively," a BCCI release said.

The 12th editions of the popular league is beginning today with a clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royals Challengers Banaglore in Chennai.

CoA Chairman Vinod Rai said, "As a federation, we felt it was best not to hold a regular IPL opening ceremony. Instead, we decided to contribute the amount towards a cause that is so important and close to everyone's heart."

Rai's CoA colleague Diana Edulji said, "This comes as a welcome move and as a mark of respect to the ones who lost their lives in the terror attack. The BCCI has always been sensitive towards issues of national interest and will continue to make contributions whenever the need arises."

Lieutenant General Ravindra Thodge, member of CoA, said, "The national interest is of utmost importance to us. We understand the sentiments of the people and the families that have been affected by the Pulwama attack and martyred in operations in J&K, Northeast and anti Naxal operations or otherwise during the course of their Duty.

"We respect and admire our Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces. This move was our way of showing solidarity and making a contribution in whatever capacity possible."

-- PTI

17:32 Kangana to play J Jayalalithaa in a biopic

Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut is all set to portray former Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, in a biopic.

The actor-turned-politician, who passed away on December 5, 2016 due to cardiac arrest, is fondly referred to as 'Puratchi Thalaivi', which means 'revolutionary leader'.

Titled "Thalaivi" in Tamil and "Jaya" in Hindi, the biographical drama will be directed by Vijay, one of the top filmmakers from south who has helmed movies like "Madrasapattinam" and "Deiva Thirumagal".

"Jayalalithaa ji is one of the biggest female success stories of this century. She was a superstar and went on to become an iconic politician,it's a great concept for mainstream film. I am honoured to be a part of this mega project," Kangana said in a statement.

Vijay said he is aware of the responsibility of making this film and the team will deal it with utmost care and honesty.

"Jayalalithaa madam was one of the most prominent leaders of our country. Making a film on her life is a big responsibility and we are going to do it with utmost care and honesty.

"I am proud and happy with our association with Kangana Ranaut ji to portray the dynamic role of our very dynamic leader," he said.

The film will be written by K V Vijayendra Prasad, who has also penned "Baahubali" and "Manikarnika", and will be produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shaailesh R Singh under the banners of Vibri & Karma Media and Entertainment.

-- PTI

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will file his nomination from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency on March 25, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Pankaja Munde informed on Saturday.

Beed MP Pritam Munde, daughter of late Gopinath Munde, will also file her nomination on the same day.

Gadkari's name was announced in the first list of candidates released by BJP on March 21. He will be contesting against the Congress's Nana Patole who quit BJP to join Congress last year.

BJP-Shiv Sena had last month finalised a plan to contest the upcoming General elections jointly in 48 seats. While BJP will contest on 25 seats, Shiv Sena will contest on 23 seats.

Maharashtra will vote for Lok Sabha elections in the first four phases, April 11, 18, 23 and 29.

-- ANI

French authorities early on Saturday deployed its military on the streets of Paris in order to assist police as the country prepares for fresh ' Yellow Vest' protests.

Sputnik quoted Paris military governor, General Bruno Leray, as saying that the military can go as far as opening fire if their lives or the lives of people they defend are threatened.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the soldiers would not be involved in keeping public order.

"Their [soldiers'] mission is to fight against terrorism and to protect vulnerable sites, this is for policemen and military police to get to the operational ground. In our country, the army is not in any way in charge of public order or law enforcement," Macron was quoted as saying.

The decision to deploy the army was undertaken to curb the violence and rampages caused last week when a large group of masked protestors looted and vandalised shops and restaurants located along the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, as the 'Yellow-Vests' protests entered the 18th consecutive weekend.

The French police have also imposed a ban on protests across the Champs-Elysees to ensure the law and order in the French capital.

In addition, French government's spokesman, Benjamin Griveaux, noted that the troops deployed under "Operation Sentinelle" -- an anti-terror operation, patrolled streets and protected airports, train stations, places of worship and other sites.

During last week's protests, the French police had put barricades around the Champs-Elysees and resorted to firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The anti-government protests had previously forced President Emmanuel Macron to scrap the proposed hike in fuel prices.

The government introduced a string of initiatives, including increasing the minimum wage by 100 euros a month, as part of 'economic and social emergency plan' unveiled in December last year.

However, the protesters have continued their agitations regardless, demanding 20 per cent hike in minimum wages, equal pay for men and women, tax reform, development of public services and just environmental reforms.

-- ANI

After taking their protests to the national capital to highlight their demands, Tamil Nadu farmers are gearing up for an electoral battle and will file 111 nominations from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting.

Tamil Nadu farmers leader P Ayyakannu said on Saturday that 111 farmers from the State will contest against Modi from Varanasi.

Ayyakannu, who is also president of the National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association, said the decision to contest the polls from Uttar Pradesh was to urge the BJP to include in their manifesto that their demands, including "profitable prices for farm produce," would be fulfilled.

The farmers leader, who spearheaded agitations in Delhi in 2017 for over 100 days, said the "moment they assure in their manifesto that our demands will be fulfilled, we will drop our decision to contest against Modi."

In the event of that not happening, he said they would go ahead and contest against Modi.

The decision to contest polls has the support of farmers everywhere and the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, Ayyakannu said.

Asked why they were raising the demand with BJP alone and not other parties like the Congress to include it in their manifestos, he said the BJP was still the ruling party and Modi the prime minister.

-- PTI

15:53 Unruly scenes at Rahul Gandhi's rally at Malda

Unruly scenes were witnessed at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's rally venue at Malda on Saturday when restive party supporters threw chairs and broke the barricade of the VIP enclousure.

Gandhi was not present at the venue at Chanchal at the time as he is scheduled to reach there at 3 pm from Purnea in Bihar.

The incident took place when Congress activits who had arrived at the venue from the nearby districts tried to barge into the inner ring of the rally ground, leading to commotion.

They shouted slogans against the party's state leadership for not making proper arrangements for the supporters to sit at the venue.

The state Congress leaders and police personnel posted at the spot tried to pacify the crowd but their pleas fell on deaf ears as supporters started throwing chairs at the VIP sitting zone in front of the stage, which was earmarked for senior party leaders and MLAs.

The situation was brought under control after the police and party leaders pacified the crowd, party sources said.

Gandhi will officially kick off the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in West Bengal from the Chanchal rally.

-- PTI

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday termed the BJP "schizophrenic" and alleged that the party tries to co-opt icons like Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia but follows people who these leaders disagreed with.

The remarks by the SP chief came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's blog in which he dubbed the efforts of regional parties to form a grand alliance with the Congress as "reprehensible", saying socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia would be "horrified" as most of these parties claim to be his followers.

Accusing the BJP of practising double standards, Yadav wrote on Twitter, "I wonder which principles are being spoken of. The BJP seems to be schizophrenic."

"On the one hand, they try to co-opt Gandhi Ji, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar and Dr Lohia and on the other hand they follow people who these leaders opposed and disagreed with."

-- PTI

Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday expressed gratitude to the BJP for fielding him from Bihar's Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, while refusing to comment on Shatrughan Sinha, the sitting MP, who has apparently been dropped for his critical views on the top leadership.

"Patna is my city. I was born and brought up there. I was a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh there and I have emotional connections with Patna," Prasad said after he got Lok Sabha ticket from Patna Sahib seat.

The actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha had won 2014 general elections from the constituency on BJP ticket. However, he was dropped from the list. Sinha has been vocal against the top leadership of the party on various occasions in the past.

Refusing to comment on him, Prasad said: "I have not commented on him before and I will not do it now." However, he added, "This fight will be on issues of development; this would be between hope and opportunism."

He added, "This election is about hope and making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country again. We have worked in the IT sector in Patna. Many Business Processing Outsourcing and innovation centres started there, I will take these works forward. The voters of Patna are very aware and they know which way takes India forward," he added.

Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who has been re-nominated by the party from Saran constituency, said: "Saran has been a bastion of Lalu ji. I have been again given the opportunity to fight election from there. I would thank the party and leadership for this."

On being asked about Sinha, he said, "I don't know where he is and from which party he is going to contest elections. We are clueless about him as of now."

-- ANI

Congress has announced Digvijaya Singh as its Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

It is pertinent to mention that the Bhopal is considered a stronghold of the BJP, which has been winning from the seat since last 8 consecutive years.

Earlier, the veteran leader had said that he was ready to contest wherever his leader "Rahul Gandhiji wants me to.

The Congress in Kerala has proposed Congress president Rahul Gandhi's name for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, a party bastion in the state, but he has yet to respond to the request, senior leaders said on Saturday.

Talking to reporters in Pathanamthitta district, AICC General Secretary Oommen Chandy said the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has requested Gandhi to contest from Wayanad but he has not commented on the proposal.

There is a demand from party leaders that Gandhi should contest from any of the South Indian Lok Sabha seat and "we have requested Gandhi to contest from Wayanad seat," he said.

The party, which is contesting 16 out of 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, has announced the names of 14 candidates but has not declared its candidates from Wayanad and Vadakara.

The Congress earlier this month had announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest from his bastion Amethi and Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli.

-- PTI

The Narendra Modi-led government appoints Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Chief of Naval Staff.

Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba will vacate the office on May 31, 2019.

Amit Shah attacks Congress over Sam Pitrodas remarks on Balakot strike, says Rahul Gandhi must apologise.

Addressing a press conference, the BJP chief said, "No party should doubt the Indian Air Force. The Congress party needs to answer why did they raise questions on the IAF strike."

He further added, "If terror attacks shouldnt be responded with surgical strikes and air strikes, and should be dealt with talks, is this Congresss policy to deal with terrorism. Congress president should respond on these."

The Shiv Sena on Saturday said L K Advani would remain the "tallest leader" of the BJP irrespective of his poll presence, two days after the party nominated its chief Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, a seat represented by the BJP patriarch.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Sena said Shah contesting in place of Advani is politically translated as the 'Bhishmacharya' of Indian politics being "forced" to retire.

"Lal Krishna Advani is known as the 'Bhishmacharya' of Indian politics, but his name does not feature in the list of BJP's candidates for Lok Sabha polls, which is not surprising," the edit said.

The Sena said the development underlined that the BJP's Advani era has come to an end.

"Advani has been elected from Gujarat's Gandhinagar constituency six times. Now, Amit Shah will be contesting from that seat. This simply means Advani has been forced to retire," the editorial said.

Marking a generational shift in the BJP, the party recently announced candidature of Shah, who will be contesting his debut parliamentary election, from Gandhinagar.

Advani, 91, had served as Union home minister and deputy prime minister. He won the Gandhinagar seat six times.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to massive victory in 2014 and Shah was made the party president, Advani was made a member of Margdarshak Mandal (group of mentors).

The Sena said, "Advani was one of the founding members of the BJP, who along with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee steered the rath of the party ahead.

"But today, Modi and Shah have taken the place of them (Vajpayee and Advani). An environment has already been created in the party to ensure that seniors do not get any responsibility this time," it stated.

-- PTI

Islamic State has lost its final stronghold in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced on Saturday, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate declared by the terrorist group in 2014.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said it defeated IS and fully liberated Baghouz in eastern Syria.

"Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100% territorial defeat of ISIS. On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible," tweeted Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF press office.

At its peak, IS controlled a huge stretch of territory stretching from western Syria to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. But the final battle took place in the past several weeks around the small and otherwise unremarkable Syrian town of Baghouz, on the banks of the Euphrates River.

A coalition of Kurdish and Arab soldiers backed by US, British and French special forces launched the last assault on the IS enclave in early February.

For weeks, US-led coalition airstrikes had pummeled parts of the town while fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces pushed forward on the ground.

Jet Airways, on the verge of going belly-up, has suspended operations on as many as 13 more international routes till end-April even as it grounded seven more planes due to non-payment of rentals, taking the number of such aircraft to 54.

Besides, the airline has also reduced frequencies on seven other overseas routes, mostly from Delhi and Mumbai, according to airline sources.

"... an additional seven aircraft including two planes of JetLite, have been grounded due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors under their respective lease agreements," the airline said in a filing to the stock exchanges late evening Friday.

Earlier, sources said routes where services have been temporarily withdrawn include Pune-Singapore (seven a week), which was launched with much fanfare late last December, and Pune-Abu Dhabi (seven flights a week).

Jet Airways has already suspended services on the Mumbai-Manchester route.

Gasping for funds and no bailout on the horizon, the Naresh Goyal-controlled airline has now reduced its operations to one-fourth from over 600 daily flights earlier, with just one-third of its 119 fleet being operational.

The airline has discontinued services from Delhi to Abu Dhabi (nine a week), Dammam (14 weekly), Dhaka (11), Hong Kong and Riyadh (seven each a week) up to April 30, said the airline source.

Besides, the airline has also suspended services on the Bangalore-Singapore route, where it flies twice daily, till April 30.

The flights which have been suspended from Mumbai for this period include services to Abu Dhabi (12 weekly), Bahrain (4-7 weekly), and Dammam (14 weekly). These services will remain suspended till April 30, as per the source.

Similarly, flights on the Mumbai-Hong Kong (7 weekly) route will also not be operated between March 23 and April 30, while the Kolkata-Dhaka services have also been suspended till April 30.

In addition to this, services from Delhi and Mumbai to Kathmandu, Bangkok, Doha, Kuwait and Singapore have been also reduced significantly.

Expressing his interest to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Chandni Chowk, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said he had conveyed his desire to Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit.

He said would like to be the partys face from the seat irrespective of whether there was a Congress-Aam Aadmi Party alliance. If the party gives me a ticket, I would certainly contest from Chandni Chowk, irrespective of whether there is an alliance with AAP, Sibal said.

Sibal had won twice from Chandni Chowk in 2004 and 2009 before losing to BJP leader Harsh Vardhan in 2014. He said the final decision on a seat-sharing arrangement with AAP was for party leadership to take. There are two views within the party on it and it is for the party leadership to make a final call, he said.

Sibal, who has held various important portfolios as a Union minister under the UPA government, is a member of the Rajya Sabha from UP. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2016.

The NDA released the list of its 40 candidates in Bihar.

Earlier, on Friday, the BJP released its second and third list of candidates carrying 37 names, which included 23 nominees for Andhra Pradesh where polling will be held in the first phase on April 11. According to the third list, BJP's spokesperson Sambit Patra will contest from Puri in Odisha.

According to the list, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will be BJP's candidate from Patna Sahib. This is interesting as this seat is currently being held by actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. Sinha in the recent past has been quite vocal about his criticism of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP's Giriraj Singh will contest from Begusarai.

Furthermore, Lok Janshakti Party's Chirag Paswan will contest from Jamui.

Ramkirpal Yadav to contest from Patliputra, RK Singh from Arrah, Aswani Choubey from Buxar, Radha Mohan Singh from East Champaran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Saran.

Actor and BJP leader Paresh Rawal on Saturday announced that he is not keen on contesting the Lok Sabha polls. Rawal is a sitting Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad East constituency.

"I had told the party 4-5 months ago that I do not want to contest the elections. But, ultimately it is the party's decision," Rawal said.

Rawal's statement comes shortly after his name was not seen in the first list of candidates released by the BJP on Friday.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

-- ANI

Justice Pinaki Ghose takes oath as the first Lokpal of India.

He was administered the oath by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi were also present.

Justice Ghose was on Tuesday appointed as the country's first Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman. -- ANI/Agencies

Two persons were killed when their truck was hit by a landslide in this hilly district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

The truck was on its way from Thathri to Gandoh and the accident occurred at Piykul Kara, 37 km from Doda, on Friday night, a police official said.

He said the landslide hit the vehicle, burying alive two of its occupants -- driver Shahzad Hussain, 27, of Bhadarwah and conductor Arif Hussain, 22, of Kishtwar district.

While the driver's body was retrieved from the spot around 3 am, the other body was recovered around 7 am, the official said, adding that both the bodies were shifted to a trauma centre Thathri for completion of formalities. -- PTI

The Karnataka government's s transport department on Friday suspended Ola Cabs' aggregator licence for a period of six months starting March 18.

The transport aggregator has been charged with running bike taxis in violation of license conditions and rules prescribed by the government.

The company termed the decision 'unfortunate' while reaffirming that the company is 'evaluating all options to find an amicable solution' for its driver-partners in Karnataka to continue working.

'We have been closely working with the authorities on this topic, responding to queries and making proactive representations to the ministry.

'Despite other companies continuing to operate illegally, Ola halted our bike taxi experiment weeks ago, instead seeking the state's cooperation to develop a legal framework for a pilot that will continue to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the mobility economy,' the company said in a statement.

'This notification is unfortunate, and we look forward to an opportunity to address these concerns directly with state officials to find a solution for our driver-partners and millions of Ola users in Karnataka,' it added.

The Karnataka government noted that Ola's response to a probe it carried out regarding illegal operation of bike taxis was not satisfactory, thus forcing it to serve a notice to the app-based cab aggregator. -- ANI

09:39 Dharwad building collapse toll mounts to 15

At least 15 people have lost their lives due to the collapse of an under-construction building in Dharwad on Tuesday.

"It has been more than 72 hours, the operation is still on. Till now, the death toll is 15," Sunil Agarwal, Additional Director General of Police (Fire and Emergency Services), Karnataka told ANI.

An FIR was registered on Friday against five people, including owners of the four-storeyed building situated in Kumareshwar Nagar, namely Basavraj Nigadi, Ravi Sabrad, Mahabaleshwar Puradgudi and Gangappa Shintre, and an engineer Vivek Pawar.

While the four partners of Renuka Construction surrendered before the police, Vivek Pawar was taken into custody from Maharashtra's Kolhapur.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had visited the site on Thursday and told the media in Dharwad that several people were suspected to be trapped under the rubble.

He had also said the district administration has already announced a magisterial inquiry and the government is ready to appoint a retired High Court judge if required.

On Wednesday, the Indian Air Force airlifted two teams of the National Disaster Response Force to Karnataka's Hubli from Hindon in Uttar Pradesh to join the rescue and search operation.

The rescue operation is being conducted jointly by the NDRF and the State Disaster Response Force. -- ANI

The Congress on Friday released the seventh list of its 35 candidates for the April-May Lok Sabha election and shifted Uttar Pradesh state unit chief Raj Babbar from Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri, the party said in a statement.

The party has nominated Imran Pratapgarhiya from Moradabad where Babbar's candidature was announced earlier.

The party fielded former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury from Khammam in Telangana.

The party also fielded Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former Union Minister Karan Singh, from Udhampur constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress also released a list of 54 candidates for Odisha Assembly election. -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party has released its second list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls containing 36 names, which included 23 nominees for Andhra Pradesh where polling will be held in the first phase on April 11.

The list announced late on Friday night also contained names of six candidates for Maharashtra and five for Odisha.

Also, one candidate each for Assam and Meghalaya has been announced in the list.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra will contest the general election from Puri parliamentary constituency in Odisha. -- PTI

Pakistani troops on Friday resorted to fresh mortar shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, while two Army soldiers were injured in overnight shelling from across the border in Jammu and Rajouri districts, officials said.

"At about 1545 hours, Pakistani army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by shelling with mortars and firing of small arms along LoC in Mendhar Sector in Poonch district," PRO defence said.

The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command accompanied by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh on Friday visited forward posts in Rajouri and Reasi sectors to interact with soldiers and review the operational preparedness.

Pakistani troops continued night-long mortar shelling and firing in Pallanwala, Sunderbani and Nowshera sectors, officials said.

The two Army jawans, who were injured in Pallanwala sector, were admitted to a hospital, they said.

On Thursday, an Army jawan was killed as Pakistani troops shelled forward areas and Indian posts with artillery and mortar bombs along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. -- PTI

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