LIVE! Trump seeks dismissal of suit from rape accuser

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Sat, 04 January 2020

Trump seeks dismissal of suit from rape accuser

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21:22 Trump seeks dismissal of suit from rape accuser

Donald Trumps lawyers asked a judge on Friday to throw out an advice columnists defamation lawsuit over his response to her allegation that he raped her in the 1990s.

The US presidents lawyers argue E Jean Carrolls suit cannot go forward in a New York state court because his statements were made in Washington.

New York law does not allow for defamation suits over statements made elsewhere, except in circumstances Carrolls case does not meet, Trump lawyer Lawrence S Rosen wrote. He did not address the substance of Carrolls claims.

Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said it was obviously ridiculous to argue Trump cannot be sued in New York, his longtime home town, though the president said in October he plans to change his residency to Florida after leaving the White House.

In a New York magazine piece last June and a subsequent book, Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-90s, after a chance meeting morphed into shopping for lingerie for the real estate mogul to give an unidentified woman.

Trump said in June Carroll was totally lying and the accusation was fake news. He called her not my type.

20:48 Rumours of Air India's shutdown baseless: CMD

Air India chief Ashwani Lohani on Saturday said that "rumours" of the disinvestment-bound airline's shutdown are "all baseless", weeks after he told the civil aviation ministry that the carrier's financial situation was "grossly untenable" for sustaining operations.

"Rumours regarding Air India shutting down or closing operations are all baseless. Air India would continue to fly and also expand and there should be no cause for concern whatsoever to travellers, corporates or agents. Air India the national carrier is still the biggest airline of India," the Air India Chairman and Managing Director tweeted.

In a letter to the ministry last month, he had said, "It also needs appreciation that the overall financial situation is grossly untenable and the airline may not be able to sustain physical operations in the absence of immediate government intervention and support that we have been repeatedly requesting for in the recent past."

-- PTI

Telangana BJP MP D Arvind has hit out at the AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi over his alleged 'tear' the BJP remark, saying he would shave off the latter's "beard" and "hang him upside down".

In a veiled attack on the ruling TRS, which maintains friendly ties with the MIM and has opposed CAA, the Nizamabad

MP said he would stick Owaisi's beard to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

A week after Owaisi addressed a meeting in Nizamabad against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Arvind took exception to the former's remarks that he would 'tear' the BJP.

He told the MIM's leader that his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi was stabbed and "torn by your person... in your area" nine years ago in the Old City area of Hyderabad and asked "you talk about (tearing) BJP?"

The BJP MP then went on to say that he would hang Owaisi upside down in the same ground where he made the remarks against the BJP and shave his beard.

"In the same ground, I will get a crane, hang upside down and shave off your beard. I will not throw that beard away. I will give promotion to that beard and stick that to the chief minister. People will come to know that he (Rao) is a mullah, Arvind said.

-- PTI

A court in Nagpur on Saturday granted exemption from appearance to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a complaint seeking criminal proceedings for non-disclosure of cases against him in his election affidavit.

Chief judicial magistrate RM Satav posted the matter for hearing on January 24.

The court, however, said, "The accused shall remain present before the court on the next date without fail and no exemption shall be granted on the next date."

This is the second time Fadnavis sought exemption from appearing before the court.

Fadnavis' advocate Uday Dable, on Friday, told the court the former CM was busy in campaigning for and monitoring

Zilla Parishad elections in Maharashtra.

The court is hearing a complaint application filed by one Satish Uke seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against Fadnavis for alleged non-disclosure of two cases registered against him in his 2014 election affidavit.

-- PTI

Noting that the National Register of Citizens in Assam has led to a "bitter experience," senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said the National Population Register of the Bharatiya Janata Party government "was clearly linked to the NRC" and asked why Home Minister Amit Shah was not stating in clear terms that the NRC exercise will not be carried out.

Former Home Minister Chidambaram in an exclusive interview said that the NPR carried out by the United Progressive Alliance government was different from the NPR exercise being carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government as six questions have been added.

He said the NPR exercise was stopped after the population census during the Congress-led UPA government.

"Go back to what we did and what we did not do. The NPR was given to Census Commissioner and Registrar General only in selected states. It was an aid to the Census of 2011. So we did NPR in 2010 as an aid to the Census of 2011. Once the census was completed we stopped the matter. We did not go further. We did not do NRC. We did not even begin to think of

NRC. Today the context is very different. The BJP government has done an NRC in Assam," he said.

The former finance minister said that the NRC in Assam had yielded over 19 lakh people "stateless".

"We have with us a visible concrete example of what will happen if the NRC is done in a state like Assam," he said.

Asked about the assurance of top leaders of government that NRC and NPR were not linked, Chidambaram said that the "highest quarters (in government) don't inspire trust".

-- ANI

Amid reports of strife in the Aurangabad unit of the ruling Shiv Sena and rumours of a state minister submitting his resignation, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Rane on Saturday said the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra will be "short-lived".

Talking to reporters in Solapur, Rane said portfolios had not been allocated to minister more than a month after the installation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government.

"Ministers have taken bungalows and office cabins, but are still without portfolios. This government is not functioning," he claimed.

Targeting Thackeray, he said the Sena chief did not have any administrative experience.

Amid speculation that the Sena's Abdul Sattar had resigned from the government, Rane said, "This government will be short-lived. More legislators will follow suit (resign). This is just the beginning."

However, there is no clarity on whether Sattar has resigned.

-- PTI

The Bhim Army claimed on Saturday that its jailed chief Chandrashekhar Azad was unwell and needed immediate medical care.

Rejecting the claim, a senior jail official said Azad was "absolutely fine" and no such issue had come to their notice during routine medical check-ups by the official jail doctor.

Azad's personal doctor Harjeet Singh Bhatti claimed that the Bhim Army chief suffers from a disease which requires biweekly phlebotomy, a "procedure to remove extra red blood cells from the blood to treat certain blood disorders".

Bhim Army spokesperson Kush Ambedkarwadi, who had met the jailed chief on Friday, said Azad has been undergoing treatment for the disease for the past one-and-a-half years and that he had told authorities at the Tihar Jail, where he is currently lodged, about it.

The last session of phlebotomy was scheduled a week ago. Azad has been complaining of headache, dizziness, pain in abdomen, Bhatti claimed.

"If Azad doesn't get immediate medical care, his blood might get thicker and he may suffer a cardiac arrest. The jail authorities are not allowing him to visit AIIMS," he said.

"This is inhuman and clear violation of human rights. I request Delhi Police and (Home Minister) Amit Shah to get him admitted to AIIMS," he posted on Twitter.

The jail authorities, however, said Azad was "absolutely fine" and medical assistance will be provided to him if the need arises.

The Delhi Police arrested Azad on December 21, a day after his outfit organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the new citizenship law without permission from police.

-- PTI

18:28 SGPC to send group to Pak over Nankana Sahib

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gobind Singh Longowal on Saturday said that the religious body would send a delegation to Pakistan for discussing the Nankana Sahib issue.

"We are sending a four-member delegation to Pakistan, which will meet senior officials and the province's Governor over this issue," said Longowal. The statement of the SGPC president comes after an angry group of local residents pelted stones at the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan last evening.

The group was led by the family of the boy who abducted a Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, the daughter of the gurdwara panthi.

Gurdwara Nankana Sahib was built at the place where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev was born.

-- ANI

17:47 Anti-CAA protest: Sadaf Jafar granted bail

Congress worker Sadaf Jafar and former IPS officer SR Darapuri, who were held in December in connection with the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, have been granted bail. Besides, 10 other anti-CAA protesters, too, have been granted bail.

The development has come a day after Lucknow's Additional District Judge, in an unexpected turn of events, said he has reserved orders on the bail petition of Sadaf Jafar and SR Darapuri. The court of Additional Sessions Judge SS Pandey asked the accused to furnish two bail bonds of Rs 50,000 each and personal bonds of an equal amount.

Violent protests broke out in Lucknow on December 19 during a demonstration against the new citizenship law when protesters pelted stones and torched vehicles parked outside a police post.

Over 200 people were detained following the clashes between the anti-CAA protesters and security forces in Lucknow. One of the detainees is social activist Sadaf Jafar, a UP-based Congress worker and a social activist.

Sadaf was arrested from the protest site at Parivartan Chowk on the evening of December 19 during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Lucknow while she was streaming them live. An FIR was registered against 34 people, including Sadaf Jafar, at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.

Her family members had alleged that Sadaf was beaten up by the Uttar Pradesh cops in custody. Before her arrest, she had posted critical videos accusing the police of inaction during the clashes. Following the two were arrested, many in opposition came out in their support and also demanded their release.

17:19 Irfan Pathan announces retirement from cricket

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Irfan, 35, has played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is for India in an international career that spanned nearly nine years beginning 2003. Known for his ability to swing the ball sharply, Irfan picked 301 wickets across formats. He was a handy batsman too, making 1105 runs in Tests at an average above 31 and 1544 runs in ODIs at 23.39.

He last played for India in a T20I in October 2012.

Irfan burst into the scene in 2003 and soon had plenty of high points in his career.

Injuries and a loss of swing meant Irfan struggled for consistency in the latter part of his career. He was in and out of the Indian side and had to be content with moving across IPL teams. He played the last of his 103 IPL matches in 2017.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Meenakshi Lekhi on Saturday questioned Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's silence on stone-pelting by a mob at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

She said that even after the incident, if he wanted to hug the 'ISI chief', then the Congress should look into it. "Till now I have not heard anything from Congress on the issue. I do not know where Sidhu paaji has fled? Even if after all this, he wants to hug ISI chief, then Congress should look into it," Lekhi said at a press conference.

The comments came after an angry group of local residents pelted stones at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on Friday evening.

-- ANI

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot offered cautious criticism of his government today, urging the Congress to be "compassionate and sensitive" following the deaths of more than 100 infants at a state-run hospital in Kota district.

Pilot's comment comes two days after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested the number of deaths was good news given over 1,100 had died at the same hospital in 2016, when the BJP was in power.

"I think our response to this could have been more compassionate and sensitive. After being in power for 13 months I think it serves no purpose to blame the previous government's misdeeds... accountability should be fixed," Sachin Pilot, who visited the JK Lon Hospital where the deaths occurred, was quoted as saying.

At least 10 of the infants who died at the JK Lon Hospital in the state died in a 48-hour period starting December 23, with a further nine dying in the last two days of the month.

A three-member investigative team appointed by the state government admitted that some of the equipment was malfunctioning and there was a lack of resources.

India captain Virat Kohli has refrained from making any comments on the Citizenship Amendment Act, without gaining full knowledge on the sensitive subject.

The CAA will grant Indian nationality to people belonging to minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12, even if they don't possess any proper document.

In 2016, Kohli had termed demonetisation as the "greatest move in history of Indian politics", which met with sharp criticism from a lot of quarters, with people questioning his knowledge on the subject.

With Guwahati witnessing massive protests against the CAA till some days back, Kohli was asked about it and the Indian skipper weighed his words carefully.

"On the issue, I do not want to be irresponsible and speak on something that has, you know, radical opinions both sides. I need to have total information, total knowledge of what it means and what is going on and then be responsible to give my opinion on it," Kohli said ahead of India's first T20 International against Sri Lanka.

The skipper made it clear that he will not like to get embroiled in a controversy by commenting on a subject that he is not well aware of.

"Because you can say one thing and then someone can say another thing. So, I would not like to get involved in something that I don't have total knowledge of and it's not going to be responsible on my part to comment on it."

However Kohli on his part was happy with the security arrangements and felt that the city is "absolutely safe".

"The city is absolutely safe. We didn't see any problems on the roads," Kohli said, giving his thumbs-up for the match at the Barsapara Stadium.

The Assam Cricket Association is using this match as a "curtain-raiser" ahead of their maiden IPL match this season as Rajasthan Royals have adopted this venue.

There has been deployment of Rapid Action Force for the teams and ACA secretary Devajit Saikia has said the spectators will not even be allowed to bring along handkerchiefs and towels on the match-day as the traditional Assamese scarf was used for protests against CAA.

-- PTI

15:57 UK advises Brits to avoid travel to Iraq, Iran

The British government on Saturday advised UK nationals to avoid travelling to Iraq and Iran in face of heightened tensions in the Middle East following the US killing of a top Iranian commander in Baghdad.

"Following the death of Qasem Soleimani and heightened tensions in the region... We now advise British nationals against all travel to Iraq (and) we now advise against all but essential travel to Iran," Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement.

"The first job of any government is to keep British people safe," the statement said.

"Given heightened tensions in the region, (we) now advise people not to travel to Iraq, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to consider carefully whether it's essential to travel to Iran. We will keep this under review." On Friday, the US military killed Soleimani in an air strike outside Baghdad international airport that shocked the Islamic republic and sparked fears of a new war in the Middle East.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed the death of the commander of its Quds Force foreign operations arm, and Tehran's clerical leadership promised "severe vengeance... in the right place and time".

In its statement, the British Foreign Office urged UK nationals in the region to "remain vigilant and monitor the media carefully." On Friday, foreign minister Dominic Raab had said that while London had "always recognised the aggressive threat" posed by Soleimani and his Quds Force, "following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests."

15:32 Jamia semester exams to begin on January 9

The Jamia Millia Islamia University has announced that the semester examinations will commence from January 9.

The varsity was closed mid-December after violence outside its campus during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

It had declared vacation till January 5 and cancelled all exams in view of the tense situation.

The university is scheduled to open on January 6 after winter vacation.

The remaining odd-semester exams of most of the postgraduate courses shall start from January 9. Most of the exams of undergraduate courses shall start from January 16, the varsity said.

The students appearing for odd-semester examinations are advised to come to the University as per scheduled date of their examination displayed on the website, it said.

"The parents are requested to ensure that their wards appear for the examination on the given date.

"The students are also advised to regularly visit the official websites www.jmi.ac.in and www.jmicoe.in for updates to avoid any confusion arising due to rumours and wrong communication on social media," it said.

Cases of serious hospitalisation/medical ground will be dealt with separately, the varsity added.

The teaching schedule for the next semester in all faculties and centres for even semester shall be notified faculty-wise on the website separately, it said.

-- PTI

15:07 Yashwant Sinha to take out yatra against CAA

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday announced that Rashtra Manch, his political action group, will take out a 'Bharat Jodo Yatra 2020' from Mumbai to Delhi to demand withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Addressing a press conference, the former BJP leader said the 21-day yatra will begin on January 9 and reach Delhi at the Rajghat on January 30, on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Actor-politician and Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha and former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta were also present at the press conference.

"I am requesting everyone to protest against the excesses which have been committed by the government of India and the unconstitutional steps taken," Yashwant Sinha said.

The yatra will pass through six states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Harayana and Delhi -- and cover the distance of over 3,000 km, he said.

Political parties, social activists, professionals, organisations and intellectuals will take part in the yatra, he added.

-- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha MP and former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir launched an attack at Pakistan against the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara incident and slammed the neighbouring country for supporting forcible conversions of a girl.

Gautam Gambhir also called Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan an "army puppet" in reference to Khan's tweet on Friday in which he shared a video in an attempt to 'expose' the "Indian police's pogrom against Muslims in UP".

However, the video tweeted by the Pakistan PM turned out to be seven years old and from Dhaka in Bangladesh, not India. Pakistan PM apparently realised his mistake and deleted the tweet later.

Captioning a video that showed people pelting stones outside the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan, Gautam Gambhir on Saturday said that stones were pelted at innocents and death threats were given to support forcible conversion of a girl.

"Stone pelting Death threats and stone pelting to innocent tourists to support forcible conversion of a girl! This is Pakistan and that is why #IndiaSupportsCAA Meanwhile, Pakistan army's puppet is busy making a fool of himself by tweeting fake videos. #JagjitKaur #NankanaSahib," Gautam Gambhir tweeted.

On Friday, the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara was attacked by a huge Muslim mob while Sikh devotees were stuck inside the shrine.

Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar has offered to step down as a minister of state in Maharashtra, sources said on Saturday.

According to former MP Chandrakant Khaire, Sattar is angry over Shiv Sena's decision to support Congress in the Zilla Parishad president elections.

Khaire said he had a conversation with Sattar at a hotel here. "I will talk to the media about our conversation at 2 pm," he said.

BJP MLA and former assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde was also seen at the hotel. He said that he was visiting the hotel for some personal work.

Speaking to media, Sattar's son Sameer Sattar said: "I have no information about this, only he can speak about it and I am sure he will speak soon, better to wait and watch."

Sattar was among the 36 Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena leaders who were sworn-in as ministers on December 30.

-- ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condemned the mob attack on Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, saying bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi termed Friday attack reprehensible, and said the only known antidote to bigotry is love, mutual respect and understanding.

"The attack on Nankana Sahab is reprehensible & must be condemned unequivocally. Bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Love + Mutual Respect + Understanding is its only known antidote," he said in a tweet.

A violent mob attacked the Nanakana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan Friday and pelted it with stones.

Nankana Sahib is the birth place of first Sikhguru Guru Nanak Dev.

-- PTI

13:26 Grenade hurled on CRPF personnel in Srinagar

Suspected terrorists hurled a grenade at CRPF personnel in Kawdara locality here on Saturday, resulting in damage to several vehicles, police said.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty or injury, they said.

A grenade was hurled by terrorists to target CRPF personnel posted in Kawdara locality of the interior area of the city in the afternoon, a police official said.

Several vehicles were hit by the shrapnels, he said.

The area was cordoned off immediately after the explosion and further details are awaited, the official said.

-- PTI

12:49

Grenade attack in Kawdara area of old Srinagar.

More details awaited.

12:31 Priyanka meets cleric beaten up by UP cops

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday reached violence-struck Muzaffarnagar. She met Maulana Asad Raza Hussaini who was allegedly beaten up by the police in the crackdown on anti-Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 protests.

The Congress general secretary was accompanied by Imran Masood, the party leader from Saharanpur during her Uttar Pradesh visit. She is also scheduled to meet the families of victims in Meerut who were injured in police firing during the protests.

This is the second visit of Priyanka to Yogi Adityanath's state which she visited along with her brother and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. She had to turn back from Meerut at the behest of authorities there.

12:07 46 notices served for damaging property in UP

Muzaffarnagar district adminstration has sent notices to 46 people for their alleged involvement in damaging public property during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

The notices to 46 people have been sent by a panel set up under additional district magistrate Amit Kumar by the authorities.

They have been told that the authorities found their involvement in alleged vandalism during the protests against the CAA on December 20 in the district, Kumar said.

The accused have been asked to send their replies by January 9, he said.

Meanwhile, four madrasa students, arrested after violence during anti-CAA protests, were released on the orders of a court as police gave them clean chit in its report filed before the chief judicial magistrate on Friday.

-- PTI

Promising pension to anti-CAA protesters if voted to power in the state, Samajwadi Party leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Ram Govind also said that his party would give compensation to the kin of those jailed or killed during the protests.

"They (protesters) have raised their voice to save democracy and the Constitution. SP loves people who work for safeguarding the Constitution. They will be given pension if we come into power at the Centre and in the state," he said.

He also said that the family of those killed in anti-CAA protests will be given compensation if the SP government comes into power in the state.

Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants should not be repatriated, the SP leader demanded. "Not at all. Whoever has come in the country, should not be deported," he said when asked if illegal Bangladeshi immigrants should be deported.

-- ANI

11:21 Iran vows to avenge Soleimani's death

Iran promised to seek revenge for a United States airstrike near Baghdad's airport that killed the mastermind of its interventions across the Middle East, and the US said on Friday that it was sending thousands more troops to the region as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing.

The death of Gen Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Tehran, which has careened from one crisis to another since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.

Almost 24 hours after the attack on Soleimani, Iraqi officials and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq reported another deadly airstrike.

An Iraqi government official reported a strike on two vehicles north of Baghdad but had no information on casualties.

Another security official who witnessed the aftermath described charred vehicles and said five people were killed.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Iraqi state television and the media arm of the Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces also reported the strike.

The group said its medics were targeted.

An American official who spoke on the condition on anonymity denied the US was behind the reported attack. -- Agencies

10:56 Next step is to deport Rohingyas: MoS Singh

Amid ongoing nationwide protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh said that the Central government's next step would be the deportation of Rohingyas from the country.

"The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is applicable across the country including in Jammu and Kashmir. By implication, what will happen here is that the next move will be in relation to the Rohingyas," Singh said while speaking at a function in Jammu on Friday.

"Jammu had a sizeable population of Rohingyas and a list would be prepared and their biometrics would also be collected. They'll have to leave India and details being worked out. CAA doesn't give them leverage. The government is considering ways to deport them," he added.

The Union Minister further said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 had become applicable in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the day it was passed by the Parliament.

"They (Rohingyas) are not part of the six religious minorities in three neighbouring states. They are from Myanmar. So, they have to go back as they are not eligible for Indian citizenship under this act," Singh said.

The law grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. -- ANI

10:05 Savarkar's grandson hospitalised

Ranjit Savarkar, grandson of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was hospitalised late on Friday night after he complained of high blood pressure, sources said on Saturday.

Sources claimed that the 55-year-old was under a lot of stress and tension following the controversy over his grandfather.

The controversy erupted after a booklet, distributed by Congress-affiliated Seva Dal in Madhya Pradesh, questioned Savarkar's credentials as a patriot and his reputation for valour.

"Ranjit has been visiting television studios to defend his grandfather and it took a toll on his health. His blood pressure shot up to 220 last night, following which he was admitted to Raheja Fortis Hospital at Mahim," a source said.

Ranjit Savarkar was admitted to the ICU, but his condition is stable now, he said.

Titled 'Veer Savarkar, Kitne Veer?', the Hindi booklet had also claimed that Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse were in a physical relationship.

The booklet has drawn the ire of both Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis saying that the Congress had exhibited its 'wicked' psyche by circulating such a booklet, which underscored its 'intellectual bankruptcy'.

While Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday had said, "Veer Savarkar was a great man and will remain a great man. A section keeps talking against him. This shows the dirt in their mind." -- PTI

09:57 Lashkar terrorist arrested in Srinagar

A Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist was arrested from a hospital in Srinagar on Saturday, police said.

Nisar Ahmad Dar, a resident of the Hajin area of Bandipore district in north Kashmir, was arrested by the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police from Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in the city, a police official said.

Dar belonged to the LeT outfit and further details are awaited, he said. -- PTI

09:37 Repeat offender: Akbaruddin's swipe at Imran

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin on Friday slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for peddling a seven-year-old violence video from Bangladesh as a case of what he claimed to be 'Indian police's pogrom against Muslims in UP'.

'Repeat offenders. Old habits die hard,' wrote Syed on Twitter while taking a jibe at the Pakistan PM.

Earlier in a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for peddling fake video on the internet.

A now-deleted video shared by Khan was soon fact-checked and found to be of 2013 and showed police action against a group of people in Bangladesh.

The Pakistan prime minister had tried to pass off the clip as a case of police brutality 'against Muslims' in Uttar Pradesh.

At one point in the now-deleted video, a policeman is seen holding a shield of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), proving that it was an incident in Bangladesh.

The RAB is an elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police.

Khan faced a strong backlash on social media for tweeting the face video with users saying that he does not even do basic fact-checking. -- ANI

09:29 Dense fog in North India, 19 trains delayed

As many as 19 trains are running late due to low visibility in the Northern Railway region.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense fog was recorded in parts of India.

'Dense Fog recorded in isolated pockets over East Rajasthan, West MP and Bihar; Moderate to Dense Fog in isolated pockets over West UP and Punjab. Visibility recorded at 0530 hours IST of today (200 m or less): Kota, Gwalior, Jhansi and Gaya-50 each; Agra and Amritsar-200 each,' IMD in a tweet said.

Meanwhile, the air quality of the national capital improved from the 'very poor' category to the 'poor' category.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301 400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.

The weather forecast agency has also predicted that Delhi is likely to receive moderate fog in the next week. -- ANI

At least five people were killed on Saturday by an airstrike on a vehicle convoy of Iraq's Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces in northern Baghdad, a source in security forces was quoted as saying by Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, the source told Sputnik about a powerful explosion in Baghdad's northern district of Taji.

"A vehicle convoy of the Popular Mobilisation Forces has been attacked. According to preliminary data, five people have died. Their names have not been clarified so far," the source said.

On Friday, several senior members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, as well as commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Qasem Soleimani, were killed by a United States drone attack near the Baghdad International Airport. -- ANI

00:09 Want NRC in future, but no draft now: BJP

The BJP believes there should be a National Register of Citizens exercise in the country in the future but there was no draft of it at the moment, party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said here on Friday.

The NRC is an exercise carried out under Citizenship Act, 1955 which provides for compulsorily registration of every citizen of India and issuance of National Identity Card to him.

"The NRC in Assam was conducted as per a Supreme Court order. We also believe there should be an NRC (nationwide) in the future. But there is no draft of NRC as of now, so there is no question controversy," he said.

"When it (NRC) will happen, then raise objections and they will be heard," he added, a reference to protests across the country against the NRC, which opposition parties have claimed is going to put some communities through hardship.

He claimed protests carried out by opposition parties against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC were being used by anti-national forces as a tool to create chaos in the country.

"CAA is not for Indian citizens but for foreigners," Trivedi said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi had also been a votary of giving citizenship to persecuted minorities in neighbouring countries.

Against the backdrop of allegations that the CAA was against Muslims, he said members of the community had also been provided citizenship.

"During the part five-and-half years, 566 Muslims (who applied) were given Indian citizenship," Trivedi said and also mentioned singer Adnan Sami as an example.

The BJP leader lashed out at passing of a resolution in the Kerala Assembly demanding scrapping of CAA, and said the move in the southern state had no Constitutional validity. -- PTI

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