Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have jointly inaugurated a corvette warship built by Turkiye for the Pakistan Navy under a strategic cooperation project between the two friendly nations.

 

Sharif, who along with a delegation of ministers and officials is on a two-day visit to Turkiye at the invitation of the Turkish President, during the inauguration said the launch of PNS Khyber represents the deepening of defence cooperation between the two nations, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

 

"It was high time that Pakistan and Turkiye transform their ties into a strategic partnership as the world was envious of the relationship between two brotherly countries," Sharif said during the inauguration of PNS Khyber at the Istanbul shipyard.

 

The prime minister said the launch of the ship manifested the deep bilateral engagement between the two countries in defence cooperation.

 

Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi said the inclusion of the warships built by ASFAT inc -- a Turkish state-owned defence contractor firm -- will be a "huge boost to our defence" and will keep the country's enemies at bay.

 

"Weakness invites aggression, but strength keeps your enemy at bay. So, the inclusion of the MILGEM-class ships will significantly strengthen the Pakistan Navy in a very big way," the naval chief told the official Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency.

 

He said the new warships were "very capable platforms, equipped with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air weapon systems".

 

He described the warships as a "truly collaborative military production", adding that they "will be a very good addition to our fleet, ensuring that our (territorial) waters are safe and our defence needs are met".

 

In response to a question about increased defence cooperation between the two nations, Niazi noted: "Both militaries are continuously exchanging knowledge and expertise. Construction and upgradation projects such as 17,000 tonne Fleet Tanker, PN-MILGEM and Agosta 90B submarines, Super Mushak trainers, UAV drones, and so on are evidence of this strong friendship and military cooperation."

Upset about not being able to speak English fluently, a 17-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her house in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, police said.

          

The incident took place in New Gaurinagar colony late on Friday night, an official said. 

        

"Shail Kumari hanged herself in her room late on Friday night. According to the victim's sister and mother, she was taking coaching to become an air-hostess. As she was weak in English, she was attending English tuitions as well," Hiranagar police station in charge inspector Dilip Puri told PTI.

        

The family has claimed that the girl was unable to pick up the language as well as her friends and had slipped into depression because of it, he said.

        

A case of suicide has been registered and further probe is underway, the official added. -- PTI 

A Delhi court on Saturday said Aam Aadmi Patyu minister Satyendar Jain was prime facie being given "preferential treatment" inside Tihar jail in violation of rules, which has now been stopped.

Special judge Vikas Dhull made the observation while dismissing Jain's plea, which sought direction to Tihar officials to provide him special food items according to his religious beliefs.

The court noted that fruits and vegetables were being provided to Jain by the jail staff, without there being any order of DG Prison or any authority, which was in violation of the rules.

"Providing fruits and vegetables to the applicant was in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India as State is bound to treat all the prisoners equally and there can be no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex, religion, status etc. 

"The Article provides for Equality before Law, which basically means that all persons should be treated equally no matter whether they are poor or rich, male or female, upper caste or lower caste. Thus, State cannot provide any special privileges to anyone in the country," the judge said.

He further noted that and around 26 officials of Tihar have been transferred and a jail superintendent has been suspended in November.

The judge noted that the record in "prima facie shows that Tihar Jail officials of jail no. 7 were providing preferential treatment to the applicant by providing fruits and vegetables, being Minister of Government of Delhi, in violation of rules".

It further said that the very fact that Jain is now purchasing fruits and vegetables from the jail canteen w.e.f. November 3, after suspension/transfer of jail officials "prima facie establishes on record that the incumbent Tihar Jail officials have stopped providing preferential treatment to the applicant, which was being given earlier to the applicant, in violation of the rules".

"The stoppage of dry fruits, being provided to the applicant on the advice of Medical Officer Incharge, Jail No.7, has been rightly done so and no interference is required to be made in this regard," the judge said.

The judge further noted that the reason for Jain's weight loss, according to his own assertion, was that he was not consuming regular food in Tihar Jail since the day of his incarceration.

"Therefore, loss of weight of the applicant is on account of him not consuming regular food and Tihar Jail administration is not responsible for the same," the judge said.

He further denied the request regarding dry fruits, noting that the stoppage of dry fruits has been done by the medical officer.

The Delhi Police has questioned the woman who visited the residence of Aaftab Amin Poonawala after the murder of his live-in partner in south Delhi's Mehrauli, officials said on Saturday.

 

Police said Poonawala came in contact with the woman, a psychologist, through a dating application and called her to his residence.

Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, 27, and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his Mehrauli residence, before dumping those across the city over several days. 

The pieces of Walkar's body were kept inside the refrigerator when he called the psychologist at his place, according to police sources. 

The woman has been interrogated, police said.  

A Delhi Court on Saturday sent Poonawala to judicial custody for 13 days, police said. 

The accused was arrested on November 12 and sent to five-day police custody which was further extended for another five days on November 17. 

On Tuesday, he was sent to four more days of police custody. 

The polygraph test on Poonawala went on for nearly three hours on Friday at the Forensic Science Laboratory here. Poonawala reached the FSL at Rohini here for his third session of the polygraph test at 4 pm and left after 6:30 pm, police said. -- PTI

Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday lambasted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for his 'silence' on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's alleged insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the border dispute with neighbouring Karnataka.

          

Addressing a rally at Chikhli in Buldhana district, the former chief minister claimed that projects headed for Maharashtra were diverted to Gujarat due to the assembly elections in that state.

        '

'I fear that Karnataka is going to the polls next year and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has staked claim to Akkalkot and Solapur (in Maharashtra). Next year, these two places may be handed over to Karnataka,'' Thackeray alleged.

        

The Sena leader further said in a sarcastic tone that the Maharashtra chief minister might conclude that as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to get back Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), there is no harm in handing over 40 villages to Karnataka.

        

Shinde was also silent on the governor's controversial remarks about Shivaji Maharaj, he alleged.

        

Claiming that nearly 1,000 farmers had committed suicide in Vidarbha in recent months, Thackeray said if he had been chief minister, he would not have allowed such suicides to take place.

         

The state government should waive electricity bills of farmers, he demanded, and said his party will stand by them to ensure that they get crop loan insurance money.

        

Thackeray termed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a party of imports.

        

"Is it a political party or a Chor Bazaar (flea market)?" he asked.

        

Thackeray also dared Shinde and other rebel MLAs (who broke away from the Shiv Sena in June and toppled his government) to announce that they will never contest elections on the BJP ticket.

        

''These people want the names of (Bal) Thackeray and Shiv Sena along with Modi's blessings. What is your own merit?" he said, referring to the name of the Shinde-led faction, 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena'.

        

Thackeray expressed confidence about winning back the lost ground on the strength of the Shiv Sena cadre.

        

''Will you tolerate the high-handedness and dictatorship of the party of imports?" he asked the gathering.

The representation of women in judiciary has increased in the last 70 years, but much distance needs to be traversed to address the needs of providing diversity in the higher courts, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday.

 

Addressing the valedictory function of Constitution Day celebrations at Supreme Court, he also stressed on the need to make various fast track special courts sanctioned by the central government to deal with crimes related to women and children. 

He lamented that some of the states have not moved forward on the issue.

The minister said there was a need to make the lower judiciary the "centre of attention" to ensure not only checking the pendency but reducing it.

He said most of the pendency is in the lower courts as the figure is about to reach five crore.

       

Addressing the gathering in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, he said inclusiveness and gender equality in the legal ecosystem is a key thrust area.

"Over the past seven decades of India's journey as an independent nation, the representation of women as judges has increased. However, much distance needs to be traversed to address the needs of providing diversity in the higher judiciary and to meet the  expectations of the cross-sections of people," he said.

In the matters of appointment of judges, the government is committed to social diversity and has been requesting the chief justices of the high courts to provide for the same while sending proposals for the appointment of judges, he said. -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party has the highest number of millionaire candidates in the fray for the December 4 Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls, followed by the AAP and the Congress, according to a report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

   

Of the top three richest candidates, two from the BJP and one from the AAP.

 

Three candidates from the AAP have the highest amount of liabilities while two independent candidates have declared zero assets. Another independent candidate, a Congress nominee and a BSP candidate have the lowest assets, the report said.

 

It said 162 (65 per cent) out of the 249 candidates analysed from the BJP, 148 (60 per cent) out of 248 from the AAP and 107 (44 per cent) out of 245 candidates analysed from the Congress have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.

 

The report said the average assets per candidate contesting the elections this time is Rs 2.27 crore. In the 2017 polls to the civic body, the average assets per candidate for 2,315 candidates was Rs 1.61 crore.

 

Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 249 BJP candidates analysed is Rs 4.04 crore, 248 AAP candidates analysed is Rs 3.74 crore and 245 Congress candidates have average assets worth Rs 1.98 crore, it said.

 

BJP's Ram Dev Sharma, who is contesting from the 79-Ballimaran ward, has declared total assets worth over Rs 66 crore. Nandini Sharma, who is representing the party from 149-Malviya Nagar ward, has declared assets over Rs 49.84 crore, while Jitender Bansala, AAP nominee from 248-Karawal Nagar, has showed assets worth over Rs 48.27 crore in their affidavits.

 

According to the report, 643 (48 per cent) of the candidates have declared liabilities.

 

The AAP's candidates from 53-Rohini-E, 98-Subhash Nagar, 146-Amar Colony -- Kuldip Mittal, Manju Setia and Jitender Kumar -- have the highest liabilities among all the candidates at over 15.43 crore, 10.94 crore and 10.07 crore, respectively.

 

Out of 1,336 candidates, whose affidavits were analysed by the ADR, 556 are millionaires.

 

Among the top 10 richest candidates, there are no Congress nominees, while there are five BJP candidates, three AAP candidates and two independents.

 

This year, 1,349 candidates are contesting the MCD elections, which will be held on December 4.

 

Out of these, 1,336 candidates' self-sworn affidavits were analysed by the ADR and Delhi Election Watch. The ADR was not able to analyse 13 candidates as their affidavits were either badly scanned or complete details were not uploaded on the Delhi State Election Commission website. -- PTI 

China held a meeting this week with 19 countries from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in which India was conspicuously absent.

 

The China International Development Cooperation Agency, an organisation connected with the Chinese Foreign Ministry held a meeting of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation on November 21, in which 19 countries took part, according to a press release issued by the organisation.

 

The meeting was held in a hybrid manner under the theme of "Shared Development: Theory and Practice from the Perspective of the Blue Economy" in Kunming, Yunnan Province, it said.

 

Representatives of 19 countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti, Australia and representatives of 3 international organisations were present, it said.

 

India was reportedly not invited, according to informed sources in Beijing.

 

Last year, China held a meeting with some South Asian countries on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation without the participation of India.

 

CIDCA is headed by Luo Zhaohui, the former Vice Foreign Minister and Ambassador to India.

 

According to the official website of the organisation, he is the Secretary of the CPC (the ruling Communist Party of China) Leadership Group of CIDCA.

 

CIDCA's official website said the aims of the organisation is to formulate strategic guidelines, plans and policies for foreign aid, coordinate and offer advice on major foreign aid issues, advance the country's reforms in matters involving foreign aid, and identify major programmes, supervise and evaluate their implementation.

 

During his tour of Sri Lanka in January this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed to establish a "forum on the development of Indian Ocean Island Countries."

 

When asked whether the CIDCA meeting is the same that is proposed by Wang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry here has clarified to the media that the November 21 meeting was not part of it.

 

At the November 21 meeting, China has proposed to establish a marine disaster prevention and mitigation cooperation mechanism between China and countries in the Indian Ocean region, the CIDCA press release said.

 

China is ready to provide necessary financial, material, and technical support to countries in need, it said.

 

China is vying for influence in the strategic Indian Ocean region with substantial investments in ports and infrastructure investments in several countries, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

 

While China has established a full-fledged naval base in Djibouti, its first outside the country, Beijing has acquired the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on a 99-year lease besides building the port at Pakistan's Gwadar in the Arabian Sea opposite India's western coast besides infrastructure investments in the Maldives.

 

The Chinese forum apparently is aimed at countering India's strong influence in the Indian Ocean region where India-backed organisations like the Indian Ocean Rim Association, (IORA), which has a membership of 23 countries have taken strong roots.

 

China is a dialogue partner in the IORA formed in 1997.

 

IORA became an observer to the UN General Assembly and the African Union in 2015.

 

Besides the IORA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed "Security and Growth for All in the Region" (SAGAR) in 2015 for active cooperation among the littoral countries of the Indian Ocean region.

 

The Indian Navy-backed 'Indian Ocean Naval Symposium' (IONS) seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the region.

A bronze sculpture by a celebrated English artist has come under fire as "extravagant" after the UK government spent GBP 1.3 million of taxpayer's money to acquire it and then send it on for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's 10 Downing Street garden.

 

According to The Sun newspaper, Henry Moore's Working Model for Seated Woman -- an abstract 1980 sculpture -- is believed to have been sold at a Christie's auction and acquired by the taxpayer-funded Government Art Collection last month.

 

It has sparked a cost-of-living row at a time when the country is struggling through soaring inflation, mounting household bills, and cost-cutting measures across public funding.

 

"It is a fine piece and an important example of Moore's collection of seated women sculptures," an expert told the newspaper.

 

"However, it may be considered an extravagant use of public funds, particularly given the economic climate," the expert said.

 

Downing Street said no politicians were involved in the decision to acquire the artwork after the partially-covered sculpture was seen being wheeled into No. 10 on Thursday.

 

It "conveys a strong sense of maternity and pregnancy", according to Christie's website.

 

It lauds the gentle watchfulness of the woman's face and her guarded posture to the protective nature of her arms and the architectural shelter she offers between her lap and shoulders, the website adds.

 

There has been a Moore piece in 10 Downing Street garden for the past 40 years, with works regularly rotated at the request of the late sculptor's charitable foundation.

 

The UK's Government Art Collection owns more than 14,000 such valuable art pieces in buildings across the political establishment at Whitehall in London and around the world.

Henry Spencer Moore, who died in 1986, is considered one of the most important British artists of the 20th century and arguably the most internationally celebrated sculptor of the period.

 He is renowned for his semi-abstract monumental bronzes seen all over the world, including in India. -- PTI 

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday said he has received a complaint against actor Richa Chadha for her tweet in which she referred to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, and he has forwarded the same to the police for legal opinion.

          

He also criticised the actor saying her tweet showed her "tukde-tukde" mentality.  

        

The actor had tweeted "Galwan says hi" in response to the Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi's statement that the Indian Army is "waiting for orders from the govt (sic)" in reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

        

Chadha's tweet caused a severe backlash on Twitter, with netizens including celebrities, criticising her for mocking the sacrifice of the Indian Armed forces.

        

In a video statement on Saturday, Mishra said the actor should learn to differentiate between the Army and cinema.

        

"There is a difference between reel and real life," the minister said, daring Chadha to lead the life of a soldier, who lives in extreme weather conditions to protect the country.

        

"Your comment has hurt the patriots. This comment shows her 'tukde-tukde' mentality. I have received a complaint against her and have sent it to the police for legal opinion," Mishra said.

        

"Tukde-Tukde" is a term often used by right-wing parties to attack the opposition, particularly Left and Left-backed outfits as well as those who support them.

        

The minister also pointed out that Chadha hadn't spoken a word on the murder of Shraddha Walkar (27) who was sawed into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala at their house in south Delhi's Mehrauli.

        

Following the backlash, Chadha had issued an apology on social media, saying she didn't intend to hurt the sentiments of the Indian Army.

        

India and China are locked in a lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over 29 months. 

The bilateral relationship came under severe strain following the clash in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in June 2020. 

A Delhi Court on Saturday sent Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of killing his live-in partner and chopping her body into 35 pieces in south Delhi's Mehrauli, to judicial custody for 13 days, police said. 

 

Police have initiated the legal process for the production of the accused for further proceedings in the polygraph test, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Zone II) Sagar Preet Hooda said. 

Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, 27, and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his Mehrauli residence, before dumping those across the city over several days.

The polygraph test on Poonawala went on for nearly three hours on Friday at the Forensic Science Laboratory here. Poonawala reached the FSL at Rohini here for his third session of the polygraph test at 4 pm and left after 6:30 pm, police said. 

Poonawala's four-day police remand expired on Saturday. -- PTI

An unidentified man allegedly fired a shot at a worker after he was not allowed to smoke a cigarette inside a convenience store in Gurugram, police said on Saturday.

   

The man entered the 24-hour convenience store in Sector 22 with a cigarette in his hand around 4 am on Friday. When the security guard requested him not to smoke inside, he abused the staff, according to a complaint.

 

The man scolded the staff and demanded that someone come with him to place the purchased goods in his vehicle, which was parked outside the store, security manager Rupendra Singh said.

 

When the goods were being placed in the vehicle, the man started loading his pistol suddenly and fired at store associate Ashish, who managed to narrowly escape.

 

The man claimed that the store workers insulted him by stopping from smoking inside and fled from the spot in his vehicle, the complaint stated.

 

An FIR has been registered at the Palam Vihar police station under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

 

The entire act was captured in the CCTV footage and police are trying to identify the suspect with the help of the vehicle's registration number, investigating officer Ashok Kumar said.

 

"The suspect will be arrested as soon as possible," Kumar added. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several other ministers along with their families on Saturday visited Guwahati to pay obeisance to Goddess Kamakhya.

 

Their short trip to the northeastern state comes five months after Shinde along with a group of Shiv Sena MLAs and Independent legislators stayed at a hotel in Guwahati for a week from June 22-29 before toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the western state.

 

"The Maharashtra chief minister, several ministers, MLAs and their family members landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in separate flights, including a chartered one," a police officer said.

 

"As far as we know, they are here to pay obeisance at Kamakhya temple. They will spend the night at a private hotel and return tomorrow," he said.

 

It is the same hotel where the then rebel MLAs had stayed in June.

 

A member of the entourage told reporters at the airport that the then rebel MLAs in June had a 'darshan' of Goddess Kamakhya and prayed to her for success.

 

"The 'devi' heard our prayers and Shinde Ji became the chief minister," he said.

 

Shinde, in a bid to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in Maharashtra, had reached Guwahati, around 2,700 km from Mumbai along with dissident Shiv Sena MLAs and some Independent legislators on June 22.

 

They stayed at a private hotel till June 29, when they flew to Goa and went to Mumbai later.

 

Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra in July with the support of the MLAs with whom he had spent a week in the capital of Assam, where BJP headed by Himanta Biswa Sarma is in power. -- PTI 

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh fell while taking part in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra near Barwaha in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on Saturday, the incident igniting a verbal tussle between the opposition party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on the condition of the state's roads.

          

Singh was unhurt after he fell while moving towards a roadside restaurant during tea break amid the march and was immediately helped to his feet by Congress workers surrounding him, eye-witnesses said.

        

"Digvijaya Singh has fallen to the ground four times so far during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. However, he has fallen for the first time in Madhya Pradesh and the reason is the state also has bad roads," All India Congress Committee media in charge Jairam Ramesh told reporters.

        

Mocking the ruling BJP, Ramesh cited an old statement of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claiming the roads in MP were better than Washington DC in the United States of America.

        

"Madhya Pradesh's roads are killer roads and not better than those in Washington DC. I have saved myself from falling three times in the state due to bad roads," Ramesh claimed.

        

Hitting back, BJP leader Narendra Saluja tweeted the video of the incident and said the Rajya Sabha MP fell due to pushing and shoving by Congress workers rather than the road condition. -- PTI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said technology must be augmented with institutional reforms to resolve issues of access to justice, and it is essential to simplify the litigation process and make it "citizen centric".

 

He also said the judiciary has been adopting technology to improve the working of courts and it is of "supreme importance" that courts are remodelled to reach out to citizens instead of them reaching out to courts in their quest for justice.

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India said judges across the country must reflect upon the constitutional vision of securing justice, equality and liberty.

He said it is important that representation of marginalised communities and women in the legal profession and judiciary is increased.

Justice Chandrachud also spoke about the e-initiatives -- virtual justice clock, justIS mobile app 2.0, digital court and s3WaaS websites of district courts -- that were launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the function.

In a nation as large and diverse as India, the "paramount challenge" the judiciary faces as an institution is to ensure that the justice delivery system is accessible to everyone, he said.

"We have been adopting technology to improve the working of courts. It is of supreme importance and necessity that courts are remodelled to reach out to people instead of people reaching out to courts in their quest for justice," the CJI said.

"To ensure that courts reach out to people, it is essential that the process of litigation is simplified and made citizen centric," he said.

Justice Chandrachud said though the judiciary's engagement with technology gained prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic, "we must not dismantle the infrastructure but built upon it".

"I will earnestly request the chief justices of high courts to ensure that the technological infrastructure, on which public funds have been spent, is not dismantled but strengthened further," he said.

Justice Chandrachud said as the CJI, he is attempting to adopt technology based services in listing of cases and court hearings "so that institutional flaws such as delays in listing and hearing can be removed from our vocabulary".

"While technology has ably aided us in ensuring functionality of the judiciary during the pandemic, technology must be augmented with institutional reforms to resolve the chief issue of access to justice," he said.

The CJI said the first interface of people with the judicial system is the district judiciary and it is of paramount importance that it is strengthened and supported. "The district judiciary must be lifted from the mindset of being a subordinate judiciary," he said.

Giving details of the e-initiatives launched by the prime minister, Justice Chandrachud said these initiatives reflect upon the commitment of judiciary towards providing access to justice.

Veteran film, television and stage actor Vikram Gokhale on Saturday died at a Pune-based hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for the last couple of weeks, the hospital authorities said. 

  

Gokhale, 77, was admitted to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune earlier this month following health complications.

His mortal remains will be kept at the Balgandharva Auditorium in Pune and the last rites will be performed at the Vaikunth crematorium in the evening, a family friend of the actor said. 

Gokhale, an artist equally at home in theatre, television and movies, acted in several Marathi and Bollywood films, including the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Agneepath (1990), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), Natsamrat (2015) and Mission Mangal (2019). 

His latest release is the Marathi film Godavari. 

With his deputy Manish Sisodia's name not finding a mention in the Central Bureau of Investigation charge sheet in the excise policy case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he and the Aam Aadmi Party are "hardcore honest".

 

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal also asked the BJP if it could say the same about any of its leaders.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday filed its first charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy case against seven accused but Sisodia, who was named in the agency's FIR, did not figure in it.

"Today I can say, Arvind Kejriwal is hardcore honest, AAP is hardcore honest. I challenge BJP to tell if any of its party leaders is hardcore honest," Kejriwal said.

Asked about the BJP releasing a series of sting videos on AAP leaders in the run-up to the December 4 municipal polls in Delhi, the chief minister said voters have to choose between 10 videos of the BJP or 10 guarantees of his party.

Earlier this month, the Aam Aadmi Party had announced 10 guarantees for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls, including clearing the three landfill sites in the city and ending stray animal menace. -- PTI 

Four Maoists, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday, a police official said.

        

The gunfight took place at around 7.30 am in forest near Pomra village under Mirtur police station limits when joint teams of security forces were out on an anti-Maoist operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

        

The operation involving personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), the Special Task Force (STF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was launched based on the inputs about the presence of Divisional Committee members of Maoists Mohan Kadti and Sumitra along with 30-40 colleagues in Pomra-Hallur forest, located over 400 km away from capital Raipur, he said.

        

When a patrolling team of the DRG was in Pomra forest, the gunfight broke out, he said.

        

"After the exchange of fire stopped, bodies of four Maoists, including two women, along with three weapons, including a .303 rifle and a 315 bore rifle, were recovered from the spot," the IG said.

        

The identity of the killed Maoists was yet to be ascertained, he said, adding that the search operation was still underway in the area. -- PTI 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said constitutional values like secularism, democracy and federalism are facing serious challenges in the country and hurdles are being created in realising the true federal concept of complacent states, a strong Centre and dynamic local self-governments.

  

The fundamental democratic principle that the state governments, elected by the people of the respective states, should play an equal role with the central government in the development of the country is being forgotten, he said in his Constitution Day message.

Since 2015, November 26 is observed as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. Earlier, the day was observed as Law Day.

"India's Constitution, which encompasses the ideals of our anti-imperialist struggle, is facing a wide array of challenges on this 73rd anniversary of its adoption. It's time to join the fight to fend off such threats and defend its spirit and values on our #ConstitutionDay," Vijayan tweeted.

Indirectly referring to the ongoing tussle between his government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the CM said even those holding high Constitutional positions are being used to pressurise elected governments is one of the concerns on this Constitutional Day.

"Today, the values of secularism, democracy and federalism in our country are facing serious challenges...The challenges being faced by our Constitution, even on the 73rd anniversary of its adoption, are not just trivial," he said.

Targetting the Centre, he said there are moves to make citizenship in accordance with ones' religion and the public sector undertakings (PSUs) are being sold off one by one in the country.

The Marxist veteran further charged that employees' rights were being stripped off and the Constitutional principles of secularism were being subverted in the higher education sector.

All of these are being challenged legally and through protests in the public sphere and this "objection is the voice for the protection of the Constitution", he added.

The Constitutional Day is also an occasion to renew our pledge to counter such challenges and to preserve and protect constitutional values and principles. -- PTI

Scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, was on Saturday released from the Taloja central prison in Navi Mumbai, a day after the Supreme Court rejected the National Investigation Agency's plea challenging the bail granted to him, an official said.

          

Teltumbde, 73, who spent two-and-a-half years behind bars in the case, walked out of the jail around 1.15 pm, he said. 

        

"On Friday, the apex court had dismissed the NIA's plea challenging the Bombay High Court's order giving bail to Teltumbde. Accordingly, he was released after the completion of bail formalities," he said. 

        

On November 18, the high court had granted bail to Teltumbde, who was arrested by the central agency on April 14, 2020, after he surrendered before the NIA, the official said.

        

Teltumbde is the third of the 16 accused arrested in the case to be released on bail.

        

Poet Varavara Rao is currently out on bail on health grounds while lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.

        

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

        

Pune Police had also claimed that the conclave was organised by some persons with alleged Maoist links.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday released its manifesto for next month's Gujarat Assembly elections, in which it promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state if the party retained power. 

          

In the manifesto, which was released in Gandhinagar by BJP president J P Nadda, the party also promised free education to girls from KG to PG (kindergarten to post-graduation).

        

It also assured that the amount of medical insurance coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme would be doubled from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said fulfilling fundamental duties should be the first priority of citizens to take the nation to greater heights as it marches ahead towards the centenary of its Independence.

 

Addressing Constitution Day celebrations in the Supreme Court, Modi said the entire world was looking at India which is witnessing rapid development and economic growth.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said the fundamental rights were those responsibilities that should be fulfilled by citizens with utmost dedication and true integrity.

"Be it an individual or institutions, our duties are our first priority. The Amrit Kaal is the era of duties for us," the prime minister said.

At the outset, Modi also remembered the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that took place in 2008 as India was celebrating the adoption of the Constitution.

The prime minister also launched new initiatives under the e-court project, which provides services to litigants, lawyers and the judiciary through information and communication technology enabled courts.

The initiatives launched by Prime Minister Modi included 'virtual justice clock', 'JustIS' mobile app 2.0, digital court and 'S3WaaS' websites. -- PTI 

The health of veteran actor Vikram Gokhale has slightly deteriorated and he continues to be on ventilator support, the authorities of a city-based hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, said on Saturday.         

         

Gokhale, 77, has been undergoing treatment at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital here for the past few days following health complications.

        

"Noted actor Vikram Gokhale continues to be on ventilator support and (his health has) slightly deteriorated further. He is back on BP support medication," said Shirish Yadkikar, spokesperson of the hospital. 

        

Gokhale, an artist equally at home in theatre, television and movies, has acted in several Marathi and Bollywood films, including the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Agneepath (1990), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), Natsamrat (2015) and Mission Mangal (2019). 

His latest release is the Marathi film Godavari. -- PTI 

Sachin P Mampatta/Business Standard reports:

Smaller companies are no longer coming back to shareholders to raise additional money through rights issues.

The number of such issuances in the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment of stock exchanges is set to end at zero for the fifth year in a row, shows a Business Standard analysis of numbers from tracker Prime Database. 

A rights issue is when a company offers additional shares to existing investors at a discount to raise money. 

Companies in the SME segment had raised over Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) through this route since 2014 -- the earliest since data is available. 

The peak was when, in 2019, Rs 91 crore (Rs 910 million) were raised through two issues. This dropped to nil after 2017.

The SME segment continues to be otherwise vibrant with over 300 initial public offers (IPOs) after this time. The amount raised after 2017 through SME IPOs is also larger than it was before 2017.

An analysis of larger companies listed on the main board of the stock exchanges shows a similar trend on rights issues. Offers have dropped to a trickle, with only seven as of October 2022. 

Experts say easier routes of raising capital such as qualified institutional placements are the reason for the decline in popularity of rights issues. The total amount raised through rights issues on the main board is at its lowest since 2016.

Additional data as of mid-November shows two more companies have regulatory approval for rights issues. This includes Anjani Portland Cement and Capri Global Capital. Both companies received approvals in October and are listed on the main board.

A polar satellite launch vehicle carrying earth observation and eight co-passenger satellites lifted off from this spaceport on Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said. 

  

The mission is said to be the last one undertaken by ISRO this year.

PSLV-C54 carries an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-06) or Oceansat as its primary payload and eight co-passenger satellites are expected to be placed  into sun synchronous orbits in over a two-hour time frame.

The entire separation of satellites is expected to take place in two hours after lift-off.

The Earth Observation Satellite-6 is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series. This is to provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas. -- PTI 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that those who planned and oversaw the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai must be brought to justice.

   

As many as 140 Indian nationals and 26 citizens of 23 countries lost their lives in the terror attacks that lasted for four days in 2008.

 

"Terrorism threatens humanity. Today, on 26/11, the world joins India in remembering its victims," Jaishankar tweeted on the 14th anniversary of the attack.

 

"Those who planned and oversaw this attack must be brought to justice," he said. "We owe this to every victim of terrorism around the world."

 

He said it was "incumbent on us" as responsible members of the international community to remember their trauma and to persevere in efforts to bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice.

 

In a brief video on the social media, Jaishankar said when it comes to terrorism, India will never look away.

 

"We will never compromise and we will never give up our quest to ensure justice," Jaishankar said. -- PTI

China reported a high number of COVID-19 cases on Friday, setting a record for daily infections, for the third day in a row, media reports said.

35,909 cases were reported including 3,405 locally transmitted cases and 31,504 local asymptomatic cases, state media Xinhua reported.

The latest figure excluded the imported cases.

Friday saw no new deaths from COVID-19, with the total death toll at 5,232.

A day earlier, China recorded 32,695 new local cases on Thursday, which included 3,041 symptomatic cases and 29,654 asymptomatic cases.

According to Reuters, Thursday's new local COVID-19 infections set a daily record, beating a figure set in mid-April.

Prior to that, China on Wednesday recorded the highest number of daily COVID-19 cases, since the start of the pandemic.

"Chinese mainland reported 3,927 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, and 27,517 new local asymptomatic cases," the state media outlet Global Times (GT) reported.

According to Reuters, the latest number broke the previous record set on April 13, when the cases hit 29, 317.

On Monday, China's top health official said that country is facing the 'most complicated and severest anti-epidemic situation' since the emergence of coronavirus.

Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was quoted as saying by GT that China is at the 'most critical and toughest moment' of fighting coronavirus.   -- ANI

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that the Bharatiya Janata Party had 'taught a lesson to rioters in 2002' All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said the lesson the party imparted was that 'Bilkis' rapists will be freed'.

'What lesson did Amit Shah teach in 2002? Lessons from Naroda Patiya? Lessons from Gulbarga? Best bakery lesson? Lessons from Bilkis Bano?' Owaisi said in a tweet, while sharing a clip from campaigning for the AIMIM's Vejalpur candidate in Juhapura.

"Amit Shah today gave a statement during a public rally that they taught a lesson to the rioters of Gujarat in 2002 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established permanent peace in the state. I want to tell the MP of this (Ahmedabad) constituency, I want to tell India's Union Home Minister, that the lesson you taught in 2002 was that Bilkis' rapists will be freed by you. The lesson you taught was that you will free the murderers of Bilkis' three-year-old daughter. You also taught us that Ahsan Jafri can be killed. You taught the lesson of Gulbarga bakery, you taught the lesson of Best bakery lesson...which lessons of yours will we remember Amit Shah sahab?" said Owaisi.

"Remember the seat of power is snatched from all. Drunk with power, India's home minister is saying they taught a lesson... Amit Shah sahab, what lesson did you teach that Delhi communal riots occurred?...," he added.

Earlier on Friday, while campaigning for Gujarat Assembly elections, Shah had said that the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat established peace in the state and 'taught lesson' to the anti-social elements or rioters in 2002.  -- ANI

The Border Security Force has shot down a drone that entered from Pakistan in Punjab's Amritsar district, officials said on Saturday.

The troops fired at the drone after they noticed it sneaking into the Indian territory near Daoke village, 34 km southwest of Amritsar city, on Friday evening, the BSF said.

During the search operation, the BSF recovered a Quadcopter DJI Matrice 300 RTK (Chinese drone) in a partially-damaged condition, according to officials.

A quadcopter is an unmanned aerial vehicle with four rotors.   --  PTI

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday paid floral tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists who had attacked the metropolis on this day 14 years ago.

They paid tributes at the martyrs' memorial in the premises of the Police Commissioner Office in south Mumbai, where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, minister Deepak Kesarkar, Chief Secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava, state Director General of Police (DGP) Rajnish Seth, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and other officials were present.

Family members of the policemen, who lost their lives during the November 2008 attacks, also paid tributes to the martyrs.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people killing 166, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores.

The then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai's Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar were among those killed in the attack.

The attack had begun on 26 November and lasted until 29 November.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Nariman House Jewish community centre were some of the places targeted by the terrorists.

Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.   -- PTI

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will be the Chief Guest at Republic Day celebrations in 2023.

Details awaited.

At least three people were killed and 11 were severely wounded after an armed gunman opened fire at two schools in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo on Friday, CNN reported citing Brazilian authorities.

The gunman who opened fire on schools in Brazil was reportedly carrying a semi-automatic weapon which was captured in security footage.

The alleged shooter was found to be wearing military attire while the face was covered.

However, the shooter is suspected to be a 16-year-old.

The attack, notably, took place in the small town of Aracruz, 50 miles north of the state capital, Vitoria, as per CNN.

In a tweet, the governor of Espirito Santo, Renato Casagrande confirmed on Friday, 'security teams caught up with the attacker who, cowardly, attacked two schools in Aracruz. I declared three days of official mourning as a sign of grief for the irreparable losses. We will continue to investigate the reasons and, soon, we will have new clarifications'.

"The attacks took place at the Primo Bitti school and the Praia de Coqueiral Educational Center," said the Governor.Describing the twin shootouts as 'absurd tragedy', Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, tweeted,

"It's with sadness that I was informed about the attacks at the Aracruz schools in Espirito Santo. My solidarity goes to the family of the victims in this absurd tragedy."

"My support goes out to Governor Casagrande in investigating the case and comforting the communities surrounding the two affected schools," he added, according to CNN. (ANI)

Scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, is likely to walk out of prison on Saturday after the Supreme Court rejected the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) plea challenging the bail granted to him.

Following the Apex court's order on Friday, Teltumbde's lawyers  completed bail formalities before the special NIA court judge Rajesh Katariya in Mumbai.

The court then issued his release order, one of his lawyers said.     

Teltumbde is lodged in the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai since his arrest in April 2020.

The Bombay high court on November 18 granted bail to him, noting that prima facie there was no evidence to show his involvement in any terror activity.

The high court, however, stayed its bail order for a week so that the NIA, the probe agency, could approach the Supreme Court.

On Friday, A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli rejected the NIA plea against the bail.

Following the SC order, Teltumbde's lawyers submitted a cash bond of Rs 1,00,000 in the NIA court.

Teltumbde, 73, is the third of the 16 accused arrested in the case to be released on bail.

Poet Varavara Rao is currently out on bail on health grounds while lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

Pune Police had also claimed that the conclave was organised by some persons with alleged Maoist links.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged by Pune Police on January 8, 2018, under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA later took over the case.   -- PTI