Ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday expressed "shock" over Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's visit to Jadavpur University to bring Union Minister Babul Supriyo who was allegedly heckled by a section of students and strongly opposed his comment calling the incident a "reflection of law and order situation".

In a statement, the TMC said that the Governor, the custodian of the Constitution in the State, visited the campus without informing the "elected government" to "so-called rescue" of the BJP leader". "This is most unfortunate and shocking that our Governor, the custodian of the Constitution of the State, without informing the elected government went to the so-called rescue of the BJP leader from Jadavpur University," it said.

The party said the police were waiting outside the university but were unable to enter in the absence of any communication from the VC.

The TMC said: "Governor went there without taking the state government into confidence. On his way, he rang up the CM who requested him several times that the Governor being the constitutional head need not go at this moment. The CM requested him to give the government some time to peacefully solve the issue. But instead of taking the government into confidence, the Governor went there to help BJP."

The ruling party took exception to the Governor releasing a press statement in which he said the incident was "a very serious reflection on the law and order in the state".

It said that the "BJP and ABVP goons" resorted to vandalism in the university campus and said the Governor did not offer any comments on it.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos pledged on Thursday the US corporate giant will become carbon neutral by 2040 and would encourage other firms to do the same, in a bid to help meet the goals of the Paris climate accord 10 years early.

  

"We want to use our scope and our scale to lead the way," Bezos -- the world's richest man -- told a news conference in the US capital.

Amazon announced its "Climate Pledge" initiative and said it would be its first signatory as part of an effort to reduce emissions in line with a 2050 goal for carbon neutrality set by the Paris agreement.

As part of the ramped-up pledge, Bezos said Amazon had agreed to purchase 100,000 electric delivery vans from vehicle maker Rivian, to help cut its carbon footprint.

The first will hit the road in 2021, with the fleet to be fully operational in 2030. Amazon also pledged to invest $100 million on reforestation efforts in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy.

Bezos's announcement came the day before a global day of demonstrations to demand action on climate change, ahead of a UN summit on zero emissions on September 23.

Amazon faces mounting pressure to address its environmental impact, with more than 1,000 of its workers planning to walk off the job Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike. 

Pakistani troops violated ceasefire on Thursday night and resorted to firing and shelling along the Line of Control in two sectors of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, an Army official said. 

  

Pakistani rangers also fired few small arm rounds along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua, he said.

"About 8.00 pm today, Pakistani army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and shelling with mortars in Shahpur and Kerni sectors in Poonch district," the official said.

The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said, adding that further details are awaited.

India on Thursday termed as "unfortunate" Pakistan's denial of overflight clearance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's VVIP plane for his upcoming visit to the US and hoped that Islamabad will realise the folly of its actions.

 

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India's request to allow Modi's aircraft to use its airspace for his upcoming visit to the US via Germany, citing "the current situation in Kashmir".

Pakistan's denial comes days after it refused permission to President Ram Nath Kovind's aircraft to fly over it during an official trip to Iceland.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, at a press briefing, said, "It is a rather unfortunate situation where a country denies overflight to the head of state or head of government of another country. But this is true when it is a normal country."

"We have made our position very clear. We hope that Pakistan will realise the folly of its actions," he said.

Asked if India will raise the issue at a global platform like the  International Civil Aviation Organization, Gokhale said, "As far as going to any international organisation is concerned, we will take a look at that. So far there is no intention to do so. But if they are in violation of the regulations of the ICAO, that is a possibility, we can consider."

Announcing the decision to deny overflight clearance to PM Modi's plane, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad had been informed about it.

"In the light of the current situation in Kashmir, India's attitude and atrocities there, we have decided to not allow our airspace for the flight of the Indian prime minister," he had said.

The Ministry of External Affairs had hit out at Pakistan for denying overflight clearance to Modi's VVIP plane, saying Islamabad should reflect upon its decision to deviate from well established international practice and reconsider its "old habit" of misrepresenting the reasons for taking unilateral action. 

The poll-bound Maharashtra has added nearly eight lakh voters since the April-May 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The overall increase in the number of voters in Maharashtra compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls is 7,69,165, said an official of the Election Commission of India. 

The voter tally has gone from 8,86,77,046 at the time of the Lok Sabha elections in April-May to 8,94,46,211 now, he said.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said that there was no recession as of today in the global economy but there was a hostile environment to which India's external sector had shown great resilience and viability.

"India's external sector has exhibited resilience and viability. The current account deficit has averaged 1.4 per cent of GDP over the last 5 years and remains comfortably financed in spite of global spillovers imparting risk-on-risk-off volatility to portfolio flows," Das said in his keynote address at the Bloomberg India Economic Forum 2019. 

"The level of foreign exchange reserves was at $429 billion on September 13, sufficient to cover close to 10 months of imports or 21 months of debt of residual maturity up to 1 year," added Das.

"The Indian economy remains a preferred habitat for foreign direct investment and is among the top 10 destinations for greenfield projects," said Das.

Praising India's service exports, Das said: "In line with the expanding share of services in domestic output, India's services exports have grown rapidly over the past two decades."

He said that in fact, India's services exports have shown a higher degree of resilience to global shocks than merchandise exports. "At $81.9 billion, net services exports financed 45 per cent of India's trade deficit in 2018-19," he said.

He also said that India still was the world leader in software exports and information technology enabled services, accounting for around 12 per cent of world software exports.

"The global environment is challenging, but it offers opportunities as well. By the IMF's assessment, India will account for a sixth of global growth in 2020," said the RBI chief.

"Trade wars are presenting new business relocation avenues that seem to be favorable to India from the point of view of the economies of scale and scope. Indian entrepreneurship, the rupee, and our people are progressively but inexorably internationalising," added Das.

Expressing his inability to understand the protest against the amended motor vehicle law, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asserted that the new provisions are aimed at curbing accidents and not earning revenue.

 

The minister's comments came against the backdrop of the strike by transporters, taxis and auto-rickshaws in the national capital on Thursday against the new law that provides for heavy penalties for traffic rule violations.

Gadkari said he was unable to comprehend why drivers in Delhi were opposing the new law as those who follow traffic rules need not fear and moreover the new Motor Vehicles Act was to save their lives.

 

The countries that have stringent traffic laws report very few or zero accidents, the minister noted while questioning that why cannot people be sensitive where so many people die in road accidents.

Commuters faced difficulties in reaching their destinations in the national capital on Thursday as several private buses, taxis and autorickshaws remained off the road due to the strike called by the United Front of Transport Associations against the amended Motor Vehicle Act provisions.

Addressing an event about road safety organised by Transport Corporation of India, Gadkari said human lives were precious given 1.5 lakh deaths in 5 lakh accidents and suggesting that those opposed to the legislation can also come up against stringent legislation prescribing death penalty to those convicted of raping minor girls.

"There is no fear of, no respect for the law. Thirty years back fine for any traffic violation was Rs 100 ... now what could be its value. Moreover this goes into states' kitty and does not accrue to the centre. People should not violate traffic law...We have fixed death penalty for people raping a minor girl...Some people can also argue that why the government has brought such law. Law is to prevent such heinous crime," the minister said.

In no other nation getting a driving licence is so easy as in India, the road transport and highways minister said questioning does a drunk driver of a public transport vehicle have the right to endanger the lives of passengers.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar left Jadavpur University campus on late Thursday evening with Union Minister Babul Supriyo after facing students demonstration for about an hour.

  

The governor had rushed to the university after taking strong note of the sordid incident of the minister being allegedly heckled, shown black flags and prevented from leaving the premises by a section of its students, hailing from leftist unions and some from TMC students wing.

     

The protesting students of the university staged demonstration before the governor as he tried to leave campus with Supriyo.

     

The agitating students ended the blockade after the police and the university teachers persuaded them and the governor left the place with the minister in his car.

On October 2, the International Day of Non-Violence, Mahatma Gandhi will be 'brought to life' through a three-dimensional hologram at the fourth Ahimsa lecture in Paris.

The event will be organised by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development. A three-dimensional life-size hologram of Gandhi will participate in a panel discussion on his philosophy of education for humans flourishing in a mixed reality set-up, in conversation with scientists, educationists, and policymakers.

The hologram will "address the audience" for 15 minutes and will also answer questions during the event.

Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education, CNRS, Gregoire Borst, and Director of UNESCO MGIEP Anantha Duraiappah will be part of the panel discussion.

Netflix's India Original series "Sacred Games", anthology film "Lust Stories" and Amazon Prime Video's "The Remix" are nominated for International Emmy Awards.

 

The second season of "Sacred Games", starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has been nominated in the best drama category alongside Brazil's "Contra Todos - season three", Germany's "Bad Banks" and UK's "McMafia", which also features Siddiqui in a key role.

Director Anurag Kashyap and Neeraj Ghaywan directed the second season of "Sacred Games" while Vikramaditya Motwane served as a showrunner.  

Kashyap, who shared the news on his Instagram page, was also one of the directors of "Lust Stories" with Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar. 

"What a day. 3 Emmy Nominations . 1 lust stories (best miniseries)

2.Sacred Games (best Drama) 3. Radhika Apte(best actress-Lust Stories)," he wrote tagging International Emmy, Netflix and other collaborators.

The movie has been nominated for the best TV movie/mini series with Brazil's "Se Eu Fechar Os Olhos Agora", Hungary's "Trezor" and Australia's "Safe Harbour.

Actor Radhika Apte, who features in the segment directed by Kashyap is competing in the best performance by an actress category with Jenna Coleman for "The Cry", Marjorie Estiano for Brazil's "Sob Pressao 2" and Marina Gera for Hungary's "Orok Tel".

"The Remix" is competing in non-scripted entertainment category with nominees from Argentina, Belgium and the UK. 

 

The 47th International Emmy Awards will be held on November 25 at the Hilton New York.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will arrive in Srinagar on Friday in his maiden visit following the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and after three failed attempts in which he was turned back from the airport.

 

According to the initial program, Azad will arrive at the Srinagar airport in the afternoon and will meet "daily-wage labourers" in Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla during his four-day trip, officials said.

The visit became possible after a nod from the Supreme Court, which allowed the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha to visit the state. A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, had on Monday allowed the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister to visit four districts -- Srinagar, Jammu, Baramulla, Anantnag -- to meet people.

The bench was told by senior advocate A M Singhvi, who was appearing for Azad, that the Congress leader wants to meet the people and inquire about their welfare.

In his petition filed in "personal capacity", Azad had told the Supreme Court that he had tried to visit the state thrice, but was turned back from the airport.

Terming his visit "apolitical" in his plea, Azad has also sought a nod from the top court to visit his family members and relatives.

In his petition, Azad has also sought permission to check on social conditions after a clampdown was imposed by the authorities following the scrapping of provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the state.

Former Jharkhand Congress chief Ajoy Kumar joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday in the presence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Sisodia said the AAP is playing different roles in different parts of the country and Kumar would join "our movement of development".

"He has served the country in two roles -- as an IPS officer and a parliamentarian. We have known each other since the days of 'andolan' (movement) and now he will work in all states with us," Sisodia said.

After joining the AAP, Kumar met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence.

"I welcome Kumar to the AAP family. The Aam Aadmi Party family will definitely be strengthened with the involvement of Ajoy Kumar. He has joined our struggle to make India corruption-free and prosperous," Kejriwal tweeted.

Kumar told reporters the political situation in Jharkhand is such that he decided to quit the Congress. He said the AAP will decide the role he is expected to play.

Only the AAP is truly a party of the 'aam aadmi' (common man) where anyone can join and work towards development of the region, the ex-police officer and former Lok Sabha MP from Jamshedpur said.

"Honesty and transparency are the most important virtues right now and the AAP has both these qualities," Kumar said and exuded confidence that in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, the AAP will again get a majority.

Kumar's joining the Aam Aadmi Party comes ahead of the polls in Jharkhand slated for later this year. 

Kumar, a former IPS officer, resigned as Jharkhand Congress chief last month, accusing some colleagues of promoting their own interests over that of the party and indulging in corrupt practices.

In his three-page resignation letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Kumar alleged that some workers have placed the interests of their leaders above that of the Congress party.

Former British prime minister David Cameron released his memoirs on Thursday, in which he speaks of getting on well with "saintly" former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, who even confided in him about the prospect of military action against Pakistan in case of another Mumbai-like terrorist attack. 

'For The Record' is a chronicle of 52-year-old Cameron's personal as well as professional life, specifically covering the period between 2010 and 2016 when he was in charge at Downing Street and had close dealings with both Singh as well Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I got on well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was a saintly man, but he was robust on the threats India faced. On a later visit, he told me that another terrorist attack like that (2008) in Mumbai in July 2011, and India would have to take military action against Pakistan," notes Cameron, as he recalls one of his many visits to India during his time in office.

"When it came to India, I argued that we needed a modern partnership -- not one tinged with colonial guilt, but alive to the possibilities of the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy. Many of Britain's most successful business leaders and cultural figures are from the Indian diaspora community and would be our greatest weapons in the endeavor," he adds.

As part of a considerable focus on the India-UK relationship in his memoirs, the 52-year-old former Conservative Party politician is all praise for the two Indian leaders and relives hugging Modi on stage during his address at Wembley Stadium in November 2015.

He recalls: "Hot on [Chinese President] Xi's heels came the new Indian PM, Narendra Modi. There were several moments' including the largest ever gathering of the Indian diaspora in the UK at Wembley Stadium.

"Before introducing Modi, I told the 60,000-strong crowd that I envisaged a British Indian entering No 10 Downing Street as PM one day. The roar of approval was incredible. And as Modi and I hugged on stage I hoped that this small gesture would be a signal of the open armed eagerness with which Britain approached the world.

On a more personal note, Cameron speaks fondly of travelling around Delhi in a tuk tuk and walking through the slums of Mumbai in the pouring rain to visit a community project.

A national-level committee comprising academics and ISRO experts are analysing the cause of communication loss with Chandrayaan-2 lander ahead of its planned soft landing on the lunar surface, the space agency said on Thursday.

     

The Indian Space Research Organisation also said the orbiter of the India's second lunar mission continued to perform scheduled science experiments to "complete satisfaction" and performance of all its payloads were "satisfactory".

    

"All Payloads of orbiter are powered. Initial trials for orbiter payloads are completed successfully. Performance of all orbiter Payloads is satisfactory. Orbiter continues to perform scheduled science experiments to complete

satisfaction," ISRO said in an update on its website.

    

"National-level committee consisting of academicians and ISRO experts are analysing the cause of communication loss with lander," it added.

    

Lander Vikram, with rover Pragyan housed inside it, lost communication with ground station on September 7 during its final descent, just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface, minutes before the planned touch-down on the Moon.

    

Efforts to reestablish the link were on since then, but hopes of a positive result appear to be fading away.

   

The lander, designed to execute a soft-landing on the lunar surface, and rover, have a mission life of one Lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 earth days.

A railway court has framed charges against Bollywood actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol and actress Karisma Kapoor more than 20 years after they allegedly pulled the emergency chain of a train while shooting for a film.

The duo challenged the order in a sessions court on Wednesday, A K Jain, counsel of Kapoor and Deol, said.

The actors were accused of illegally pulling the chain of train 2413-A Uplink Express, which led to its delay by 25 minutes.

The counsel said the charges were initially read out against both the actors in 2009, which they challenged in a sessions court in April 2010.

The session court exonerated both the actors, but on September 17, the railway court again framed the charges against the two, Jain said.

Besides Deol and Kapoor, stuntman Tinu Verma and Satish Shah were also accused in the case but they had not challenged the charges against them in the sessions court in 2010.

The railway court has scheduled the next hearing in the 1997 case on September 24.

Then assistant station master Sitaram Malakar of Narena had lodged a complaint at the General Railway Police, following which the actors were accused of violating Section 141 (needlessly interfering with the means of communication in a train), Section 145 (drunkenness or nuisance), Section 146 (obstructing a railway servant in his duties) and Section 147 (trespass and refusal to desist from trespass) of the Railways Act.

In 1997, Deol and Kapoor, along with other crew members, were shooting for film 'Bajrang' at Sanvarda village near Phulera in Ajmer district.

The Central government on Thursday appointed Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria the next chief of the India Air Force.

"Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of the Air Staff," a tweet by the official Twitter handle of Principal Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence read. 

Bhadauria, who is currently Vice Chief of Air Staff, will take over the charge as the Chief of Air Staff after his predecessor and the incumbent IAF Chief BS Dhanoa retires on September 30.

Prior to being appointed the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Bhadauria was heading IAF's Bengaluru-based Training Command. As the Deputy Chief, he was the chairman of the Indian negotiating team for the 36 Rafale combat aircraft deal with France.

Bhadauria was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on June 15, 1980, with the 'Sword of Honour.'

He went on to hold several important positions such as Commandant of the National Defence Academy, Senior Air Staff Officer at the Central Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff from January 2016 to February 28, 2017.

Bhadauria served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command from March 1, 2017. He took over as the chief of Bengaluru-based Training Command on August 1, 2018. 

At the closing bell, the BSE S&P Sensex was down by 470 points or 1.29 per cent at 36,093 while the Nifty 50 slipped by 136 points to 10,705.At the National Stock Exchange, all sectoral indices were in the red. 

Nifty media ended 4.4 per cent lower, PSU bank by 2.2 per cent, private bank by 1.8 per cent, metal by 1.6 per cent and pharma by 1.5 per cent.

Among stocks, Yes Bank was laggard of the day with a drop of 15.76 per cent to Rs 54 per share after CARE Ratings downgraded ratings of non-convertible debentures of Morgan Credits, one of the private lender's promoter entities.

Other private lenders like IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank too were in the negative zone. Even the government-owned State Bank of India slipped by over 2 per cent.

Zee Entertainment plunged by 7.8 per cent following reports that its promoter has been restricted from selling its stake in the media company.

The other prominent losers were Indiabulls Housing Finance, which slipped by 4.6 per cent, Tata Steel by 3.5 per cent, Reliance Industries by 2.2 per cent and Vedanta by 2.1 per cent.However, those which showed some gains were Tata Motors, Coal India, HDFC Bank, UPL and Bharti Airtel. -- PTI

The bench, however, said the aggrieved farmers can approach the government to seek higher compensation. The bench upheld the validity of the Land Acquisition Act, amended by the Gujarat government in 2016 and subsequently approved by the President. The court was also of the opinion that the provision of not conducting social impact assessment under the amended Act does not fall into the category of "excessive delegation", as contended by the agitating farmers. 

Naidu also wanted to invite almost all the members of Rajya Sabha scattered all over India on the first day of the session. There will be seminars and meetings to celebrate the session and a special book is being published with a list of living legends of the Rajya Sabha.

Ahead of the Assembly elections last December, Rahul Gandhi had promised that if Congress was voted to power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, farmers' loans would be cancelled within 10 days of the new government taking over. "The waiver has not reached the bank account of the farmers. The farmers are very angry," he added. - ANI

Launching the BJP's poll campaign for the next month's Maharashtra Assembly elections, Modi said a lot of efforts are being made from across the border to foment violence in Jammu and Kashmir. "We have to create a new paradise (in Kashmir)... hug each Kashmiri," he said. 

The decision to revoke provisions under Article 370 was a decision for the unity of India, Modi said. "This decision is going to be the medium of fulfilling the aspirations and dreams of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

"A lot of efforts are being taken from across the border to spread unrest and disbelief and foment violence in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. "The youth, mothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir have made up their mind to come out of the long period of violence. They want development and new job opportunities," he said.

Modi said, "We had promised that we will make new efforts to curb the problems in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Today I can say with satisfaction that the country has started walking towards fulfilling those dreams". -- PTI

Dasgupta, who was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the Modi government, was part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's political campaign in West Bengal. 

He wrote the letter to Modi a day after Banerjee invited the prime minister to inaugurate the Deocha Pachami, the second-largest coal block in the world, after Durga Puja. 

In the letter, Dasgupta said if the prime minister inaugurated the coal block at this juncture, it would lead to "serious distortions" and open the way for unscrupulous operators. 

Dasgupta added that the prime minister's presence at such an event might indicate that all the necessary formalities were completed and coal mining was likely to be operational within a very short time. "It would not be in the interests of the state if your name is sought to be used in a manner that brings disrepute to the state," he said. -- PTI

The CBI had sought extension of the veteran Congress leader's judicial remand before Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, opposed the investigative agency's plea to extend his judicial custody. Sibal moved an application on behalf of Chidambaram seeking regular medical checkup and adequate supplementary diet during judicial custody in Tihar Jail. 

He said that the 73-year old Congress leader is suffering from various ailments and has lost weight during the custody, to which he was sent on September 5.

Responding to a question regarding the lockdown in the region following the abrogation of Article 370, Guterres said, "Well, our capacity is related to good offices, and good offices can only be implemented when the parties accept it. And, on the other hand, it relates to advocacy, and the advocacy was expressed and will be maintained.

" I go on with a clear opinion that human rights must be fully respected in the territory, and I go on with the clear opinion that dialogue between India and Pakistan is an absolutely essential element for the solution of the problem," he added. -- ANI

Nirav, 48, appeared before the Westminster Magistrates' Court via videolink from his London prison for a routine "call-over" remand hearing. His trial is expected for May 11-15, 2020. 

Nirav has been lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London, one of England's most overcrowded jails, since his arrest in March on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government, being represented by the UK's Crown Prosecution Service in court. 

 He was arrested by uniformed Scotland Yard officers on an extradition warrant on March 19 and has been in prison since. -- PTI

However, as people geared up to tackle the situation, the high rainfall warning turned out to be a damp squib as the city hardly received any showers till Thursday afternoon.

While the city received some showers late Wednesday night, it remained almost dry on Thursday. The school education minister Ashish Shelar's order for closure of schools and colleges issued late Wednesday night also remained ineffective, as several educational institutions in the city and suburbs remained open.

The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday issued a red rain alert, indicating "extremely heavy rainfall", for Mumbai and Raigad districts. 

The irregular heating and cooling of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal pushed cloud precipitation in Mumbai to a new high, with the city recording its wettest monsoon season this year since 1954. 

When contacted, an IMD official said, "This year there has been continuous depression over Madhya Pradesh at regular intervals, which increased the overall rainfall in Mumbai and neighbouring districts." "The state capital has received total 3,467 mm rain from June 1 till September 17, surpassing the 3,451 mm downpour recorded in 1954. With 11 days more to go this month, the city will get a record rainfall figure by then," he said. -- PTI

File pic

Not NaMo ya! But a character named Garrett Modi on the NBC sitcom Sunnyside.

Garrett Modi is played by Kal Penn, the Indian American actor best known for Harold and Kumar and currently appearing on Designated Survivor where he plays a White House official, which he was in real life for a couple of years in the Obama administration.

Kal Penn was born Kalpen Modi, but chose to act under a clever twist of his first name.

When the New York Times asked Kal what his parents thought of using their surname on Sunnyside, Kal said,'My dad was not a fan at first. He said: Thats a terrible idea. People are going to be confused. You used to work in politics. People might think its supposed to be you. But hes come around.'

In the same NYT interview, Kal also revealed that when he was growing up he heard stories about his grandparents marching with Gandhi. That's right: Mahatma Gandhi.

Earlier, when the odd-even scheme was imposed by the Delhi government in January and April 2016, the violation was punishable with a fine of Rs 2,000. However, a final decision on the size of penalty has not been made since the notification of compoundable offences under the amended MV Act is yet to be notified by the Delhi government, an official said. "The government is authorised to reduce the amount of fine which it may or may not do, " said the official. Under Section 115 of the MV Act, violation of the odd-even rule is a traffic offence for which the fine amount has been raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 after amendment which came into effect from September 1 this year.

Earlier, the Act stated that the penalty was a minimum of Rs 2,000, which has now been increased to Rs 20,000.

Pakistan continues to push terrorists into India and has increased terror activities in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) even as the FATF's sword hangs on its head. 

In a video accessed by ANI yesterday, it can be clearly seen that Pakistani troops or terrorists backed by Islamabad attempted BAT action and were immediately eliminated.

"Post Article 370 abrogation, numbers of launch pads have been activated by the Pakistani Army close to our own posts along the Line of Control (LoC) and these are only a few hundred meters to 2 km from the LoC," Indian Army sources said.

"These launch pads in the areas facing Gurez, Machchal, Keran, Tangdhar, Uri, Poonch, Naushera, Sunderbani, RS Pura, Ramgarh, Kathua harbor more than 250 terrorists," they said.Army sources said a communication centre has been activated in the Kalighati area since early August to coordinate and facilitate infiltration.

"Kashmiri separatists are conducting their own reign of terror, threatening or even attacking civilians in a campaign to destroy any semblance of normality that may be creeping back after more than a month of heavy military crackdowns."

The NYT report on Kashmir. Read it here. 

A letter in this regard was sent to the top cop of West Bengal, seeking a phone number of Kumar on which he could be contacted, they added. The CBI has set up a special team to trace Kumar, who allegedly "evaded" the agency's notices to appear before it in connection with the Saradha Ponzi scheme case, the sources said. They added that Kumar did not appear for questioning in spite of the CBI notices, after the Kolkata High Court withdrew the protection given to him from arrest on last Friday.  --- PTI

"BJP will have to respect the fifty-fifty formulae that was decided in presence of Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. I am not talking of breaking alliance but what Diwakar Raote has said is not wrong," said Sanjay Raut.

Diwakar Raote, senior Shiv Sena leader and Minister in Maharashtra government had on Wednesday said that if not given equal number of seats by the BJP, the pre-poll alliance between the two parties could break. -- PTI

The White House on Monday announced that Trump would join Modi at the mega Houston rally on September 22 as a "special gesture" by the US President to underscore the special bond between the two countries. It is for the first time that Trump and Modi would share a stage together.

The event is the third meeting between the two leaders in three months, after the G-20 summit in Japan in June and the G-7 summit in France last month. "Could be. I have a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi," Trump told reporters on Wednesday aboard Air Force One on his way back from California to Washington DC. He did not elaborate. He was responding to a question if there would be any announcement when he goes to Houston for the rally with the Indian leader. 

According to media reports, officials of the two countries are trying to finalise a trade deal before Prime Minister Modi and Trump meet in Houston. Trade tensions between India and the US have been rising with Trump complaining that tariffs imposed by New Delhi on American products were "no longer acceptable".  -- PTI

The West Bengal chief minister, who is on a three-day visit to the national capital, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. 

She described it as a "government to government" meeting and said the discussion was mostly on development issues of the state.

Banerjee also told reporters said that she had sought time from Shah, insisting that it was part of her routine exercise as chief minister to meet the union finance and home ministers during her trips to Delhi. 

In the wake of the violence during Lok Sabha polls when a bust of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was desecrated in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee had called Amit Shah a goonda and said, If you lay your hands on Vidyasagar, what will I call you other than a goonda. I hate your ideology, I hate your ways." Amit Shah had returned the compliment saying wherever there was violence there was Mamata Banerjee. 

The 48-year-old, who is fighting extradition to India at Westminster Magistrates' Court, is expected to be given a confirmed date for his trial, expected in May next year.

"No progress today, I'm afraid,' Judge Tan Ikram said at the last call-over hearing on August 22, as he gave directions for the court clerk to seek a confirmation of the proposed five-day extradition trial to start on May 11, 2020. 

There is also likely to be a case management hearing in the matter ahead of the extradition trial in February next year.  

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the man had expressed regret for using such objectionable words in his communication to Dhavan. The bench also comprising justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer said there should not be a repetition of such acts again. -- PTI

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Dhavan, said he does want any punishment for the retired public servant but a message should be sent to all in the country that there should not be any intimidation of any counsel appearing for any party. The counsel appearing for N Shanmugam said he was expressing his regret for using such words in the letter to Dhavan.

The court had on September 3 issued notice to Shanmugam on Dhavan's contempt plea for allegedly threatening him in a letter, saying physical disabilities will befall him for taking up the case on behalf of Muslim parties against the deity 'Ram Lalla'. -- PTI

The rupee opened at 71.36 per US dollar then touched a high of 71.15 and a low of 71.37. On Wednesday, rupee had settled for the day at 71.24 against the US dollar. 

The domestic unit pared some losses and was trading at 71.23 against the dollar at 1010 hrs. In line with market expectations the Federal Open Market Committee lowered the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 1.75 to 2.0 per cent. 

He became the first-ever Defence Minister to fly in the fighter jet. Singh was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari.

The Defence Minister who donned a white helmet waved to onlookers after he took his seat in the back in the twin- seater version of the aircraft before it took off.

Ahead of the flight today, Singh tweeted two pictures of him dressed in a green flight suit. "All Set For The Day!" he posted.The Tejas is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, multirole light fighter designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

It came from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. In 2003, the LCA was officially named "Tejas". -- ANI

The 30-share index was trading 206.33 points, or 0.56 per cent, lower at 36,357.55 at 0930 hours, while the broader Nifty slipped 64.65 points, or 0.60 per cent, to 10,776. 

In the previous session, the BSE barometer ended 82.79 points, or 0.23 per cent, higher at 36,563.88. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty gained 23.05 points, or 0.21 per cent, to finish at 10,840.65. 

Top losers in the Sensex pack in early trade included Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, NTPC, SBI, HCL Tech, TCS, L&T, Infosys and Axis Bank, shedding up to 4.21 per cent. On the other hand, Tata Motors, Maruti, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, HUL and Bharti Airtel rose up to 1.40 per cent. According to traders, global investor sentiment turned cautious after the US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, but dimmed hopes for further rate cuts as it took a cautious approach to further reductions in borrowing costs. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul were trading on a mixed note in their respective late morning sessions. On Wall Street too, bourses ended on a tepid note after Fed policy outcome on Wednesday. 

Sustained foreign fund outflow too weighed on market sentiment here, traders said. On Wednesday, foreign portfolio investor sold shares worth a net of Rs 959.09 crore, while domestic institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 780.45 crore, provisional data showed. 

The rupee, meanwhile, was trading flat against its previous close at 71.20 in early session. Global oil benchmark Brent crude rose 0.11 per cent to 63.67 per barrel (intra-day). -- PTI

The Education Excellence Award 2019 was presented to Kumar, 46, by the Foundation For Excellence at a function on the occasion of the organisation's 25th anniversary gala in San Jose, California over the weekend. 

Speaking at the event, Anand exhorted the strong Indian community living in the USA and across the world to help education become the strongest weapon to fight all the problems of the world. 

"Making quality education accessible to the masses will make a huge difference to the world by solving the core issues of poverty, unemployment, population explosion, environmental degradation and a lot more," he said.

"Indians have been doing wonders in different fields across the globe, including the USA, and it would be immensely satisfying for them to give something back to their society. There can be no gift more precious than education," Anand said at a packed auditorium while receiving applause from a gathering comprising eminent personalities.

Anand has been running a highly innovative Super 30 programme for the last 18 years to mentor 30 students free off cost through a year-long residential coaching for India's premiere IIT-JEE. The success rate has been phenomenal, with students from underprivileged sections witnessing a generational change by entering the premiere institutions. 

Anand said an educated world would be much better place due to greater understanding and compassion.  -- PTI

The survey has been compiled by Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies USA and was conducted ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to a crowd of 50,000 Indian-Americans in Houston over the weekend. The survey covered various topics ranging from immigration issues, investment, dual citizenship, double taxation and transfer of social security funds. Among the surveyed questions, a demand for dual citizenship received a maximum support with 4.4 star rating. 

"While citizens of many other countries have had the ability to apply for US citizenship without renouncing the citizenship of their home country, non-resident Indians have been requesting this same opportunity from the Indian government for many years without luck," FIIDS said. -- PTI

The familiarization sortie on LCA Tejas by the Defence Minister from HAL Airport will begin shortly. 

He will be accompanied by Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari Project Director, National Flight Test Centre, ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) in Bengaluru.

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is all set to fly in indigenously-built light combat aircraft Tejas from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport in Bengaluru today.

   

"All Set For The Day!," Rajnath tweeted with images of himself in flying suit.

He will be the first defence minister to fly in this aircraft.

 

Last Friday in Goa, Tejas had successfully carried out an "arrested landing", a key performance demonstrating its ability to land on board an aircraft carrier, making it a major milestone in development of the naval variant of the fighter jet.

 

The Indian Air Force has already inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft. The naval version of the LCA is in development stage.

The met department has forecasted "extremely heavy rainfall" on Thursday in Mumbai and adjoining Raigad district.

The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red rain alert, indicating "extremely heavy rainfall", for Mumbai and Raigad districts, said an IMD official.

This indicates a precipitation of more than 204 mm in 24 hours starting Thursday morning, he said.

However, Mumbai would receive heavy rainfall on Friday, but Raigad will continue to receive extremely heavy showers that day also, the official said. 

Maharashtra education minister Ashish Shelar has announced that all schools and junior colleges in Thane, Konkan and Mumbai region will remain shut as the weather department forecast a red alert in these regions. He also asked district collectors to keep an eye on the developments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet twice in less than a week this month, India's top envoy to America has said, asserting that the India-US strategic relationship has the potential to become the "defining partnership" within this century.

Since his re-election in May this year, Prime Minister Modi has met President Trump twice. 

The previous two meetings of the two leaders were on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Japan and G-7 Summit in France this summer.

And later this week when Modi arrives in the US, they "are scheduled to meet twice more", India's ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla told a Washington audience on Wednesday.

 

So, they would have "four meetings in the span of a few months," Shringla said during the 'India on the Hill: Charting a Future for Indo-US Relations' event jointly organised by two think tanks, The Heritage Foundation from the US and Observer Research Foundation from India.

 

Modi is scheduled to arrive in Houston on Saturday. 

A day later, Trump would join him in addressing the mega "Howdy Modi" rally to be attended by more than 50,000 Indian-Americans.

 

The two leaders are again scheduled to meet later in the week in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly sessions. -- PTI

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday asserted that 'dialogue' between India and Pakistan is an 'absolute essential element' for resolving the Kashmir issue.

"Our capacity is related to good offices and good offices can only be implemented when the parties accept it. On the other hand, it relates to advocacy. The advocacy was expressed and will be maintained," Guterres told a press conference at the UN headquarters.

The UN chief was asked about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and what will he do to bring a solution to the Kashmir issue.

"I go on with a clear opinion that human rights must be fully respected in the territory and I go on with the clear opinion that dialogue between India and Pakistan is an absolute essential element for the solution of the problem," he said.

India has always maintained that the Kashmir issue is an internal matter and there is no need for a third-party mediation, including either from the UN or the United States.

The UN Secretary General has also repeatedly asserted that his good offices are available only if both India and Pakistan ask for it.

India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5 and bifurcated it into two union territories.

Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue but India has asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 was its 'internal matter' and also asked Islamabad to accept the reality and stop its anti-India rhetoric.  -- PTI