Carrie and Boris Johnson are expecting a second child, months after a miscarriage that left her "heartbroken".

The British prime minister's wife, 33, announced the news on Instagram, saying she was hoping for a "rainbow baby" this Christmas.

She wrote that, while she felt "blessed to be pregnant again", she had also "felt like a bag of nerves".

Johnson gave birth to the couple's son Wilfred in April 2020.

The term "rainbow baby" is used for a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

In a post on Instagram, Carrie Johnson wrote: "At the beginning of the year, I had a miscarriage which left me heartbroken.

"I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant again but I've also felt like a bag of nerves.

"Fertility issues can be really hard for many people, particularly when on platforms like Instagram it can look like everything is only ever going well.

"I found it a real comfort to hear from people who had also experienced loss so I hope that in some very small way sharing this might help others too."

The couple married at a small wedding ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in May this year - making Boris Johnson the first British prime minister to marry while in office for nearly 200 years.

The Congress on Saturday alleged that the government was trying to find an "excuse" to curtail the Monsoon session of Parliament after "obstructing" its functioning by not agreeing to a discussion on the Pegasus issue and refusing to answer whether it has bought the Israeli spyware to snoop on people.

 

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi blamed the government for the current deadlock in Parliament and alleged it was trying to avoid answering pertinent questions raised by the opposition.

"My straight charge is that the government has stopped the session and the government is now possibly thinking of curtailing a stopped session. So, you can draw your own conclusion," he told reporters.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any significant business, except passage of some bills, amid continued protests by opposition parties over the Pegasus and farmers' issues since the Monsoon session of Parliament commenced on July 19.

The session is scheduled to conclude on August 13.

Singhvi  alleged that the government made sure that Parliament does not function for nine or 10 days is now finding "the first fault as an excuse to do the second fault, namely curtail it".

"Look at your obstinacy, you mulish, stony obstinacy, that you will not agree to a discussion on the most important issue - Pegasus," he said, adding that the government has been saying that it will discuss it outside Parliament.

"You are obstructing and you are now using the existing obstruction for 9-10 days as an excuse to wind up (the session)," Singhvi alleged.

The Congress leader said the government has not answered the basic question of whether it has directly or indirectly in any form and manner through a government agency acquired Pegasus.

"The answer has to be 'Yes of No'. You are welcome to say, 'No'. Why don't you say it? Everything else you are saying, but not saying 'Yes or No'.

"The second question is if you did acquire it? Did you use it against persons and if yes, show their names...but there is no answer," he said.

The opposition is demanding that the government agree to a discussion in Parliament on Pegasus snooping row and farmers' protests, besides other issues. It also wants the Prime Minister or the Home Minister to be present during the discussion.

The government, however, is terming the snooping controversy as a non-issue and accusing the opposition of unnecessarily raking it up to disrupt  proceedings in Parliament.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Saturday recommended CBI to take over the probe into the death of Dhanbad Additional Sessions Judge Uttam Anand who passed away following an alleged hit-and-run incident on Wednesday.

An SIT constituted by the Jharkhand Police has arrested two accused in connection with the incident.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the Supreme Court said Friday that the gruesome incident has larger ramifications. A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant directed the Jharkhand Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to jointly submit a report in a weeks time on the status of the investigation into the incident.

According to sources in the police, the accused have allegedly told investigators that they were drunk at the time of the incident. We have sent their blood and urine samples for tests to get it on record. We are yet to ascertain any motive behind the incident, said a source. One of them, Lakhan Verma, is a hardened criminal and it will take time to get information out of them.

Even after three days of discussions between Congress leaders and AICC general secretary Ajay Maken, there is no clarity on when the much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle will take place in Rajasthan.  

 

Maken, the charge of Rajasthan Affairs at the All-India Congress Committee, held one-on-one meetings here with party MLAs and those supporting it to take feedback on the performance of the state government.

While party sources said there is some time before the reshuffle takes place, MLAs close to former deputy CM Sachin Pilot claimed that things have been finalised and the rejig is expected in the first week of August.  

Meanwhile, not exact date has been given for it by Maken, who had on Friday said some ministers have expressed willingness to quit the government to work for the organisation.  

The feedback exercise was initiated by the Congress high command after Sachin Pilot and MLAs close to him revolted against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot last year.

Party sources said most MLAs gave "positive feedback" about the government's performance and have expressed faith in the leadership of the chief minister.

"The working style of the chief minister was praised by them and he has emerged as an undisputed leader," the sources said on Saturday.

On Friday, Maken also praised the government's functioning.

"I was told by every MLA how amazing development work has been carried out in their constituency -- be it education, health, roads, hospitals. All MLAs are satisfied and all are moving ahead on the path of development," he had said.

More than Rs 133 crore in taxpayer money has been lost because of parliament disruptions in the monsoon session, government sources said on Saturday, as the deadlock between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration and the Opposition over the Pegasus snooping scandal showed no signs of a thaw.

Since Parliament convened on July 19, the Opposition has been demanding a discussion and an independent inquiry led by a Supreme Court judge -- serving or retired -- into reports that an Israeli spyware sold only to governments was used to hack phones of opposition leaders, judges, activists and even ministers.

The government has dismissed these demands, saying a statement read out in Parliament by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav -- one of the potential targets of the hacking -- was sufficient. For days, the BJP has laboured to label the snooping of the phones a "non-issue".

A statement given out to the media via unnamed "government sources" on Saturday said the deadlock meant that the Lok Sabha only functioned for about 7 hours out of a possible 54, and the Rajya Sabha worked for 11 hours out of a possible 53.

"So far Parliament has functioned only 18 hours out of possible 107 hours. Thus around 89 hours of working time have been wasted. This means that the total loss to the taxpayers is More than Rs 133 crore," the statement said.

With efforts continuing to defuse border tensions between Assam and Mizoram, the row and the violence earlier this week is likely to be raised in parliament by BJP MPs from Assam on Monday.

Sources said that the MPs can raise the issue under rule 377. Under Rule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business on Lok Sabha, members raise matters of urgent public importance that cannot be raised as short notice questions and calling attention motions.

Most senior leaders have avoided commenting on sensitive issue. Both state governments have summoned each other's officials over the violence earlier this week which left six Assam police personnel dead and injured 50 others.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday reacted to reports that an FIR had been filed against him and six officials in Kolasib district of Mizoram and asked why the case was not being handed over to a neutral agency as the incident took place within the constitutional territory of Assam.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has already spoken to Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on the issue.

"Will be very happy to join in any investigation. But why the case is not being handed over to a neutral agency, especially when the place of occurrence is well within the constitutional territory of Assam? Have already conveyed this to @ZoramthangaCM ji," he said in a tweet.

BJP leaders said vested interests will seek to benefit from tensions in Assam and Mizoram, both of which are border states.

"We can't let that happen. Let there be a commission to resolve this matter between two states," a senior BJP leader said.

He said Assam has been exercising restraint in diffusing the tension.

JD-U MP Rajiv Ranjan, better known as Lalan Singh, was on Saturday chosen as its national president at the party's national executive meeting here, sources said.

 

Singh replaces R C P Singh, who offered to step down as he has been inducted as a Cabinet minister in the Modi government. 

Lalan Singh, a Bhumihar MP from Munger Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, has long been a close confidant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the main face of his party.

Former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju applauded ace badminton player PV Sindhu on Saturday.

Sindhu will not be able to return with a silver or gold in the women's singles event as she lost to Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-Ying in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. 

Sindhu will now play for bronze on Sunday. 

Rijiju, the Union Minister of Law and Justice, said India is proud of Sindhu's achievement and everyone will cheer for the badminton player in the bronze medal match.

"Don't be disheartened @Pvsindhu1 India is proud of your achievements. You can still come back with a medal for India. We will cheer for you in the bronze medal match. #Cheer4India," Rijiju tweeted.

Tzu-Ying defeated Sindhu 21-18, 21-12 in the semifinals.

More than 1 crore vaccine doses have been given in Delhi so far, and nearly 50 per cent of the national capital's adult population has got at least one shot, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today. 

"Till today, 1 crore vaccine doses have been given in Delhi to nearly 74 lakh people. Of these, at least 26 lakh people have got both their doses... rest of them have got one shot each," the CM said during a televised briefing. 

With the city having an approximate population of about 2 crore, about 1.5 crore people are above 18 years of age, and eligible to get vaccinated, the Chief Minister said.

"About 50 per cent of the adult population has got the first dose of vaccine," Kejriwal said. 

"People in Delhi are showing enthusiasm and willingness to get vaccinated. I want to congratulate all the healthcare workers for the feat. However, due to the shortage of doses, we have not been able to scale up the vaccination drive," he underlined.

Days after he posted a series of cryptic social media posts setting off speculation about his possible retirement from politics, singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo on Saturday said goodbye in a Facebook post.

Alvida. Am not going to any other party - TMC, Congress, CPIM, nowhere. I am confirming that nobody has called me. I am going nowhere. I am a one-team player! Have always supported one team #MohunBagan - Have been with only one party - BJP West Bengal. Thats it!!

I have stayed for too long I have helped somebody, have disappointed somebody," his post read.

The two-time member of Parliament was among the 12 ministers who were dropped from Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet on July 7 as part of a rejig. His fate was likely sealed when he lost to the Trinamool Congresss Aroop Biswas in the April-May West Bengal assembly elections.

In a lengthy post in Bengali on social media, the BJP leader said: I have made some of you happy, some sad but after a long discussion, am saying am leaving.

Its not possible to stay in politics and do social work. Let me settle myself.

The last few days, I have gone to Amit Shah and JP Nadda Ji, I have told them what I feel."

I will never forget their love and so I cant go to them, I dont have the audacity to go to them and say this. I have decided what I will do; I had decided long back so if I go now they may feel am bargaining and when that is not right I dont want them to have the wrong idea. I only pray they dont misunderstand me."

The third Tamil Nadu Cross Sectional Serosurvey in July, covering over 26,000 samples revealed that atleast 66.2 percent of the population has developed antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes covid-19.

    

Among the 26,610 samples tested, 17,624 individuals had IgG (Immunoglobulin G) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

virus.

   

While the overall seroprevalence was 66.2 percent, the highest seropositivity was observed in Virudhunagar district at 84 per cent while Erode in west Tamil Nadu reported the lowest at 37, according to the latest serosuvrey conducted by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in 888 clusters across the state.

    

It was released by state Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian in the presence of Principal Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan and Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr T S Selvavinayagam, on Saturday.

    

In the earlier state-wide serosurveys conducted by DPH&PM, the seropositivity was 31 percent in October/November 2020, and 29 percent (in the second conducted in April 2021).

   

The overall seropositivity of 66.2 percent detected during the third survey could be attributed to various possible reasons including the timing of serosurvey conducted during the declining phase of the covid second wave in Tamil Nadu, it said.

     

In an escalation following Monday's border gunfight between their two police forces that left six Assam policemen dead, Mizoram yesterday said it had filed a case over the incident, naming the Chief Minister and other top officials of the neighboruing state in it. Himanta Biswa Sarma, on his part, has asked why a neutral agency can't investigate the matter.

A first information report was filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including "attempt to murder", at the Vairengte Police Station in Kolasib district of Mizoram, which borders Assam's Cachar.

The report said Assam police personnel, acting under instructions from Mr Sarma himself, refused to have an "amicable dialogue" with the Mizoram police on the day of the incident.

They "forcefully informed SP, Kolasib that the area falls within Assam territory and they intended to construct a camp as per the instruction of Chief Minister, Assam himself", the FIR said.

"They had arrived at the spot with tents and other materials for construction of camp which clearly showed their intention to forcibly occupy the Mizoram BOP by force, as their convoy of vehicles consist of Ambulances and around 20 vehicles," it said.  

Expressing his willingness to join the probe, Sarma said: "But why the is case not being handed over to a neutral agency, especially when the place of occurrence is well within the constitutional territory of Assam?"

"Will be very happy to join in any investigation. But why the case is not being handed over to a neutral agency, especially when the place of occurrence is well within the constitutional territory of Assam? Have already conveyed this to @ZoramthangaCM ji," tweeted the Assamese CM.

Among the policemen mentioned in the FIR are an Assam Inspector General, a Deputy Inspector General, a Superintendent of Police. The Cachar District Deputy Commissioner, too, has been included, besides some 200 unnamed police personnel.

The productivity of the Upper House fell drastically in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament as the Rajya Sabha Secretariat in an official notification informed that the House lost 40 out of 50 working hours during the first two weeks of the session.

" With disruptions continuing, the productivity of Rajya Sabha fell to 13.70 per cent during the second week of the ongoing monsoon session from 32.20 per cent during the first week, resulting in an overall productivity of 21.60 per cent for the first two weeks. Of the total 50 working hours available, 39 hours 52 minutes has been lost due to disruptions. The House, however, sat for 1 hour 12 minutes beyond the scheduled time, but for which the productivity would have been much lower," read the official notification. 

During the nine sittings of these first two weeks, Rajya Sabha only had 1 hour 38 minutes of Question Hour, which is primarily meant for ensuring the accountability of the executive to the Parliament; 1 hour 24 minutes for legislative business passing four Bills with seven members intervening; 1 minute of Zero Hour and another 4 minutes on Special Mentions. COVID-19 related issues were discussed for 4 hours 37 minutes during the first week and the Minister for IT made/laid a Statement on the Pegasus spyware issue during the first week.

For the first time, the Secretariat has started reporting in the daily bulletins, the business of the House that could not be taken up. During the first two weeks of the current session, 130 Zero Hour Submissions and 87 Special Mentions, through which the Members raise issues of public importance could not be taken though they were admitted by the Chairman.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will travel to Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to launch projects.

 

During his visit, Shah will lay the foundation stones of Uttar Pradesh Institute of Forensic Sciences in Lucknow and the Vindhya Corridor at Mirzapur.  

According to the official programme received on Saturday, he will arrive at Lucknow airport on Sunday by a special plane at 11:45 am and from there he will proceed via the state government's helicopter to lay the foundation stone of UPIFS, Pipersand. 

He will also address a function organised after laying the foundation stone of the institute in which intellectual people of the capital have been specially invited, it said.

According to a BJP spokesperson, Shah might go to Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences to  enquire about the health of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and former Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh.   

However, there is no mention of his visit to SGPGI in his moment-to-moment schedule.

According to the programme, the Union home minister will leave for Mirzapur by a helicopter from Pipersand's helipad to the Deori helipad site in Mirzapur. Thereafter, he will leave for Vindhyavasini temple. 

After this, his programme till 4:37 pm has been reserved for laying the foundation stone of Maa Vindhyavasini Corridor project and other development schemes, including ropeway. 

Shah will leave for Varanasi from helipad at GD Binani College, Mirzapur at 4:40 pm and will leave for Delhi from Varanasi airport at 5:10 pm.

The Punjab government on Saturday announced the reopening of schools for all classes in the state from August 2 with proper protocol to ensure Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

On Friday, Punjab reported 49 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total count to 599,053, officials said. No Covid-related death was reported on Friday.

The state has 544 active cases of Covid-19 and most of the new infections are reported from Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana.

Gangster Chhota Rajan, who was admitted to AIIMS on Tuesday due to stomach ache, was discharged from the hospital and taken back to Tihar jail, officials said on Saturday.

 

Rajan, 61, underwent treatment and was discharged from the hospital on Friday evening, they said.

Director General (Delhi Prisons) Sandeep Goel said Chotta Rajan has been discharged from AIIMS and is now back in jail.

In April also, Rajan was admitted to the hospital after he had tested positive for COVID-19.

He was brought back to the jail after his recovery. 

Rajan has been lodged at the high-security prison since his arrest upon his deportation from Bali in Indonesia in 2015.

Two weeks have already passed and Parliament is unable to function properly due to Oppositions demand to discuss Pegasus snooping list, farm laws and other issues. If sources in the Opposition are to be believed, their leaders may bring in no confidence motion next week against Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu.

The move will be initiated by TMC, DMK, Congress and others will join, sources said. In the the monsoon session, which began on July 19, Opposition claimed that they had given notice everyday seeking governments statement on Pegasus, vaccine and other issues, but the Centre has not paid heed".

Derek OBrien has stated that the central government is not allowing Parliament to run. Its not about how many times they are calling Opposition, its important what will be the content of Parliament, the TMC MP said. Mamata Banerjees another lawmaker Shantanu Sen MP got suspended in this row.

On the other hand, the ruling BJP is stating that Opposition is not allowing Parliament to run. The tussle is on and in this case if no confidence motion against chairman is brought, then it is clear that it will be a stormy session next week too.

An Air India Express  flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Saudi Arabia had to make an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Saturday after a crack in the windshield of the aircraft was

detected, an airport official said.

    

After taking off around 7.52 am, less than an hour into the flight, the pilots noticed the crack in the windshield of the airplane prompting them to turn back to Thiruvananthapuram for an emergency landing at around

8.50 am, the official said.     

However, the plane had no passengers, due to the COVID-19 restrictions on international travel to certain destinations, and was only carrying cargo and a crew of eight.

    

All the crew members, including the pilots, are safe, C V Ravindran, the Director of Thiruvananthapuram Airport, said.

    

He also said that had the crack been detected in the pre-flight check, the plane would not have taken off and therefore, it must have happened during take-off or while cruising.

The 12th round of military talks between India and China began on Saturday morning. India and China are expected to discuss the issue of disengagement from Hot Springs and Gogra.

The talks started at 10.30 am at the Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian delegation at Saturday's talks is led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

The latest Sino-India talks are taking place after a gap of over three and a half months.

Sources in the military establishment said India is hopeful of a positive outcome from the 12th round of Corps Commander talks in terms of disengagement in Hot Springs and Gogra.

India has been insisting that resolution of outstanding issues, including in Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra, is essential for overall ties between the two countries.

India will take over the Presidency of the UN Security Council on August 1 and is set to host signature events in three major areas of maritime security, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism during the month.

"It is a singular honour for us to be presiding over the Security Council the same month when we are celebrating our 75th Independence Day," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said in a video message on the eve of India assuming the rotating Presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN body.

The first working day of India's Presidency will be Monday, August 2 when Tirumurti will hold a hybrid press briefing in the UN headquarters on the Council's programme of work for the month.

Tirumurti will also provide a briefing for member states of the United Nations which are non-members of the Council on its work for the month, according to a schedule released by the UN.

India's two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council began on January 1, 2021.

The August presidency will be India's first Presidency during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

India will again preside over the Council in December next year, the last month of its two-year tenure.

During its Presidency, India will be organising high-level signature events in three major areas - maritime security, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism.

In the video message, Tirumurti said maritime security has a high priority for India and it is important for the Security Council to take a holistic approach to this issue.

Peacekeeping is a topic close to our hearts, given our own long and pioneering involvement with peacekeeping, he said, adding that India will focus on how to ensure the safety of peacekeepers, especially by using better technology and how to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice.

As a country that has been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, India will continue to keep the spotlight on counter-terrorism. -- PTI

With a single-day rise of 41,649 new cases, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 3,16,13,993 on Saturday, while the death toll due to the viral disease shot up to 4,23,810 with 593 more people succumbing to it, the Union health ministry said.

 

The number of active coronavirus cases in the country registered an increase for the fourth consecutive day, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of active cases has gone up to 408920, accounting for 1.29 per cent of the total number of cases, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.37 per cent, the data showed.

An increase of 3,765 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 tally in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.34 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.42 per cent, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 3,07,81,263, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data showed.

The cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far has reached 46.15 crore.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30-lakh mark on August 23, 40-lakh mark on September 5 and 50-lakh mark on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28 last year, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore COVID-19 cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23. -- PTI

Political strategist Prashant Kishor is close to firming up ties with the Congress ahead of the assembly polls in five states scheduled for next year.

Kishor has met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at least thrice in the last one week and discussed the revival of Congress, according to sources.

Sources also informed that the meetings have taken place at Rahul Gandhi's residence, which were attended by a few senior Congress leaders on each occasion including Ambika Soni, KC Venugopal, and AK Antony.

However, the leaders are not ready to comment on the developments. 

If sources are to be believed, Rahul Gandhi has consulted leaders about it which fuelled speculation of Kishor's induction in the party.

In 2022, assembly elections will be held in Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab.

These questions are arising because Kishor, who has announced to leave the job of election management, can now appear in the avatar of a leader.

Recently he was appointed as the Principal Advisor by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ahead of the 2022 assembly polls in the state.

After meeting with the Gandhi family, the speculation has got further impetus that he may soon join hands.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi in two big party meetings has sought the opinion of the leaders on the inclusion of Kishor in the grand old party. 

This comes after Kishor's meeting with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party interim president Sonia Gandhi.

Sources claim that Rahul Gandhi has made up his mind to include the political strategist in the party, but there are different opinions within the party on the issue. -- ANI

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

 

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the forest area of Namibian and Marsar and the general area of Dachigam this morning, following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire at a search party of the forces, who retaliated.

In the exchange of firing, two terrorists were killed, the official said.

He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras were being ascertained.

Further details were awaited, the official added. -- PTI  

Ganpatrao Deshmukh, the longest-serving MLA of Maharashtra and a senior leader of the Peasants and Workers Party, died in a private hospital in Solapur on late Friday evening, said family sources.

  

According to the sources, Deshmukh (94), a former state minister, was admitted in the hospital for the last 15 days and died due to old age-related ailments. 

He was being treated for stones in the gall bladder and recently underwent a surgery.

Deshmukh represented Sangola in Solapur district in the state legislative assembly for 11 terms since 1962 across multiple terms and served as an MLA for 54 years.

He got defeated in 1972, but again won in a bypoll n 1974. 

In 1995, he lost by a slender margin of 192 votes, said his grandson Aniket Deshmukh.

He had won the Sangola seat in the 2014 state elections for a record 11th time and served in the assembly till 2019.

Deshmukh also served as a minister in the government of Sharad Pawar in 1978 and again in 1999 (in Vilasrao Deshmukh cabinet) when his party PWP gave support to the Congress-NCP alliance.

His last rites will be performed in Sangola.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari condoled the death of Deshmukh and paid rich tributes to him.

"Deshmukh carved out a niche for himself in public life. He not only represented his constituency for the longest period in the state assembly and consistently, but he will be remembered for his simple living and high intellect," the CM said.

In his condolence message in Mumbai, the Governor said the veteran politician was a model public representative and an epitome of simple living and high thinking.

"I was saddened to know about the demise of the senior-most leader of the Peasants and Workers Party and the longest term member of the State Legislature Shri Ganpatrao Deshmukh.

"A model people's representative, Shri Deshmukh maintained his chord with farmers, workers and ordinary citizens all his life. He was an epitome of simple living and high thinking," Koshyari said.

The Governor said Deshmukh was an institution in himself.

"A man of peace and restraint, Shri Deshmukh was a fearless leader, having friends across the political spectrum. In his demise, the State has lost an institution in State legislature," Koshyari added. -- PTI

United States President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American attorney Rashad Hussain as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, the first Muslim to be nominated to the key position, according to the White House.

 

Hussain, 41, is currently Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council.

 

"Today's announcement underscores the President's commitment to build an Administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths. Hussain is the first Muslim to be nominated to serve as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom," the White House said in a statement on Friday.

 

He previously served as Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice's National Security Division. During the Obama administration, he served as US Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, US Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications and Deputy Associate White House Counsel.

 

In his roles as envoy, Hussain worked with multilateral organisations such as the OIC and the UN, foreign governments and civil society organisations to expand partnerships in education, entrepreneurship, health, international security, science and technology and other areas.

 

He also spearheaded efforts on countering antisemitism and protecting religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Hussain worked on the House Judiciary Committee, serving as a judicial law clerk.

 

Hussain received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal, and Master's degrees in Public Administration (Kennedy School of Government) and Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard University.

 

He has also taught as Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. He speaks Urdu, Arabic and Spanish.

 

President Biden also nominated Pakistani-American Khizr Khan as Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

 According to the White House, Deborah Lipstadt has been nominated as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism with the Rank of Ambassador and Sharon Kleinbaum as USCIRF Commissioner.

 

Lipstadt is a renowned scholar of the Holocaust and antisemitism, the White House said. -- PTI 

Criminal cases have been filed against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, four senior officers of the state police and two more officials over the violent clash that took place on the outskirts of Vairengte town in Mizoram's Kolasib district, police said on Friday.

 

They have been booked under various charges, including attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Headquarter) John Neihlaia told PTI.

The FIR was lodged by the state police at the Vairengte police station late Monday after a gun fight between the Mizoram and the Assam police forces near the border town, he said.

The four senior Assam Police officers named in the FIR are Inspector General of Police Anurag Aggarwal, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Cachar Devojyoti Mukherjee, Cachar Superintendent of Police Cahndrakant Nimbalkar, and officer in-charge of Dholai police station, Sahab Uddin, Neihlaia said.

Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Cachar Divisional Forest Officer Sunnydeo Chaudhary have also been booked under the same charges, he said.

Besides, cases were also registered against 200 unidentified Assam Police personnel, Neihlaia said.

The four police officers and the two administrative officials have been summoned for questioning on Sunday, he added. 

Hours after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said his statement on a recent incident of gang rape was taken out of context, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said it was not possible to post a policeman for the protection of every girl. 

  

"It is not that the government is shying away from its responsibility. But it is equally the responsibility of parents to know where their children are going and whether they are permitted to stay at someone's place," Gaude said, speaking to reporters.

"Parents suffer the most at the end. Is it possible to post a policeman behind every girl for her safety?" he asked.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Sawant, who is under fire for questioning why the two teenage rape victims were out on a beach late at night, said his statement was taken out of context.

"Both as the head of a responsible government and father of a 14-year-old daughter, I was deeply pained and disturbed. The pain of this incident is inexplicable," the chief minister added.

Four men, one of them a driver with the agriculture department, allegedly posed as policemen and raped two girls after beating up the boys who were with them on Benaulim beach on Sunday. 

All the accused have been arrested. -- PTI