The CPI today welcomed the CPI(M)s stand to have an understanding with the Congress to oust the BJP-led government at the Centre and said the latters resolution has brought the left parties political approach nearer. Addressing the 23rd CPI party Congress here today, General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the CPI(M)s tactical line would help strengthen the unity between the two communist parties and also further the left unity to take on the communal fascism of the RSS-BJP. Calling for a broader Left unity, Reddy said, I would like to assure that the CPI and the CPI(M), with all other Left parties, certainly will strengthen the left unity further to defeat BJP. The CPI for the past one year has been discussing these issues as fascism is at the door step. We need a broader or much broader, secular, democratic left unity to take on it (RSS-BJP), Reddy said. The Left parties would fight unitedly the fascist tendencies of the BJP, he added. Speaking on the occasion, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the main task was to defeat the BJP and its allies by aligning with all secular and democratic forces. Referring to the partys political resolution, adopted at…
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Indian chef Gaggan Anand’s Bangkok restaurant Gaggan wins best Asian restaurant award
A popular Indian cuisine eatery in Thailand has created history by winning Asias best restaurant award for the fourth consecutive year at a ceremony in Chinas Macau city. Gaggan Anands Bangkok restaurant Gaggan won the annual Asias 50 Best Restaurants award presented at the Wynn Palaces Grand Theatre in Macau yesterday. The list of 50 best is based on votes from a group of more than 300 leaders across Asias restaurant industry. We have become a family, and thats the best thing that has happened in the last six years of 50 Best, said Kolkatta-born Anand as he accepted the award. We have young chefs taking over from the old ones. So its time for us to leave and you guys to take over, he said. Anand, whose takes inspiration from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, said it was not just about a recipe or a dish, but about how you innovate in that 150 square meters that you have. Gaggan grabbed the top award, beating Japanese food restaurant Den. Launched in 2013, Asias 50 Best Restaurants list is the regional version of the famous list of The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. The first year I won number one, everybody…
Modi-Choksi case: $1.9 billion of LoUs honoured, says PNB’s Sunil Mehta
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has honoured letters of undertaking (LoUs) related to transactions by defaulters Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi worth $1.9 billion (Rs 12,680 crore). Banks that were owed money by the lender have been paid, non-executive chairman Sunil Mehta told FE, adding that the remaining LoUs will be honoured on maturity. Mehta said around Rs 6,500 crore worth of LoUs had matured by the end of March. The total amount that has been paid out is about $1.9 billion of $2.07 billion, LoUs, now banned by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), were issued as an undertaking that the issuer will honour a lender While bank guarantees are internationally-accepted instruments, LoUs were mostly issued by banks in India and used by importers to raise money from foreign branches of Indian banks. According to Mehta, since the number of LoUs issued fraudulently were substantial, the bank had to go back a number of years to make sure they have been reconciled. PNB, Mehta said, has started linking its SWIFT system with the core banking system and will complete the process by April 30. Every module has to be retested to validate that the module is working and that process…
Data leak: IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad seeks Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s apology
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today sought an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly using Cambridge Analytica data to swing poll results and said probity demands that he should promise not to manipulate voters in the future. Prasad said on Twitter that Cambridge Analyticas role in manipulating elections is clear and Facebook has given an assurance to stop it and maintain integrity of Indias elections. Using Facebook chief Mark Zuckerbergs apology for failing to protect the social media giants user data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal as a handle, Prasad said, probity demands that @RahulGandhi should apologise promise not to manipulate voters and divide the society in future. Last week, Zuckerberg admitted making a huge mistake as personal data of up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, a figure higher than the previous estimate of 50 million. Yesterday, Zuckerberg apologised to the US Congress and took personal responsibility for not doing enough to protect Facebooks users private data from being misused and manipulated. There have been allegations that Cambridge Analytica data has been used by parties in India too.
Telangana gears up for ‘Million March’ to expose failures of Chandrasekhar Rao government
Scores of activists were taken into preventive custody across Telangana as a Joint Action Committee (JAC) is gearing up to stage the Million March on Saturday to expose the failures of the K.Chandrasekhar Rao government. The Left parties have supported the JACs call. However, the city police has denied permission for the rally. The JAC chairman professor M. Kodandaram announced that the march would be held defying the police order. A total of 6,000 police personnel have been deployed across the state. Hyderabad Central zone police imposed restrictions on vehicular movement on Tank Bund. The police have surrounded Kodandarams house in Secunderabads Tarnaka area. Special police forces, including rapid response teams, have been deployed at the Osmania University, the hotbed of the Telangana movement till 2014. The first Million March was held on March 10, 2011, to highlight the demand of the people of Telangana for a separate state. As crusader of the movement, Chandrasekhar Rao supported the event. But, this time, the event is against his rule. Just because they have the power, they cannot suppress the right of the people to protest, Kodandaram had said.
CBSE Class 12 economics re-exam on April 25: These students in Maoist-hit Bastar are facing litmus test; here is why
CBSE Class 12 economics re-exam on April 25: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will hold Class 12 economics re-exam on April 25.While, most of the students generally do not enjoy the retest, candidates, who will have to appear for the re-exam in maoist and naxal-affected Bastar district Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, are facing gruelling battle of nerves, according to The Indian Express. In this area, coaching centre do not remain open after school-term ends. Ahead of the ket examination, no one i sthere to assist students now. It changes every everything. We don In the bigger cities, students have more study material, or can call tutors to their homes. But here, reference books are limited because they don If the exams had ended with the Hindi paper on April 2, I would have helped my family in the fields. I still have to help at home, but now I am not doing as much as I can because of the exam. I am caught in between, I watched on TV as students from cities said that their holiday plans had been ruined. In Bastar, there is so much more at stake When I have a doubt now, there is…
India-Japan-US trilateral in New Delhi ahead of Donald Trump-Shinzo Abe summit
New Delhi will host the strategically important trilateral dialogue between India, Japan and the US this week ahead of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago later this month, the State Department has said. The Trump administration has sent two of its senior diplomats from the State Department – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton The crucial dialogue between the three leading democratic powers of the Indo-Pacific region on Wednesday comes a fortnight ahead of the Trump-Abe summit at Mar-a-Lago, Trumps Florida resort. During the two-day summit on April 17 and 18, the two leaders will reaffirm the US-Japan alliance as a cornerstone of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the White House said today. While Wells has just returned from Pakistan, Thorton completed her trip to Malaysia before heading to New Delhi where she attended the US-ASEAN Dialogue to engage on regional security and economic issues. On April 6, Wells will participate in the India-US Forum, hosted by the Ananta Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs….
IPFT threatens movement over modality committee, demands one more cabinet berth in Tripura
The IPFT, an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, threatened to launch a movement today unless an inter-ministerial modality committee was formed within the next three months and also demanded another cabinet berth in the Biplab Kumar Deb ministry. The inter-ministerial modality committee would study the socio-economic and cultural issues of the indigenous people of the north-eastern state, Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) vice-president Ananta Debbarma told reporters here. He claimed that the Centre had, on January 8, announced to form the committee after an IPFT delegation met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard. We are waiting to be updated about the inter-ministerial modality committee, to be formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. If it does not start functioning within the next three months, we shall launch a democratic movement, Debbarma said. Demanding one more cabinet berth for the IPFT, he said, There is a provision for a 12-member cabinet. Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has filled up nine positions and kept three vacant. We were given two berths in the cabinet, we can get one more. In the 60-member Tripura Assembly, the BJP has 36 legislators, the IPFT eight and…
Simultaneous Lok Sabha, Legislative Assembly elections in 2019? Narendra Modi’s idea gets Law Commission boost
Months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi floated the idea of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the Law Commission has come out with a recommendation that may be the first step towards a tectonic shift in the way elections are held in India. The Commission has suggested that elections can be held together, provided at least two provisions of the Constitution are amended and ratified by a majority of the states. The Commission further suggested that some provisions of the Representation of People Act will have to be amended by a simple majority in Parliament. The move, part of the Commissions Darft Working Paper – Simultaneous Elections – Constitution and Legal Perspectives, proposes amending the Constitution (Articles 83 (2) and 172 (1) dealing with tenures of Lok Sabha and state assemblies) and the Representation of People Act to extend the terms of state legislative assemblies to effect the move. The Commission has made public its working paper on holding simultaneous polls and sought the views of constitutional experts, political parties and other stakeholders before finalising its report. The people who are interested in placing their views on the issue can submit their stand to the Commission by May…
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Patel shot dead in Pulwama
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Patel has been shot dead by some unknown assailants in Pulwamas Rajpora area. Patel, who was taken to a nearby hospital soon after the attack, succumbed to his injuries. News agency ANI reported that the attack was carried out by some terrorists and Nabis two personal security officers also sustained injuries in the attack. The two PSOs identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Zargar and Bilal Ahmad Mir. Heartfelt condolences to the family of senior Congress leader, GN Patel who was killed by militants today in Rajpora. Such cowardly acts achieve nothing but leave one more family devastated, (sic) JK Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted. Indianexpress.com reported that Patel was traveling in his car when he was attacked by the militants. The militants also took away the service revolvers of Patels security guards after shooting. The two policemen are being treated at the hospital and their condition is reported as stable. The area has been cordoned off by the security forces and a search operation has been launched to nab attackers. Patel was earlier a member of People Attacks in Pulwama area in recent times On April 11, two policemen were injured in another militant attack in…
Odisha parcel bomb case cracked: Lecturer identified as alleged mastermind, police reveal sinister motive
The police on Wednesday claimed to have finally cracked the shocking case of a gift bomb that had left a newly married groom dead and his wife gravely injured. The motive behind this grave tragedy was a personal grudge. According to the police, a college lecturer was the mastermind of the who incident. According to news agency PTI, police claimed that the college lecturer had gifted the parcel bomb to the couple as their wedding gift in order to exact revenge from the grooms mother. The accused has been identified as Punjilal Meher, who is a colleague of the deceased grooms mother. Arun Bothra, IGP Crime Branch, said that the crime was carried out of jealousy as the grooms mother was made principal of the Jyoti Bikash College at Bhainsa replacing him. The case dates back to the month of February. The victim couple, Soumya and Reema Sahu, were married on the February 18. Five days later, they received a parcel as their wedding gift. On opening the gift, the parcel exploded. The blast resulted in the death of the groom, Soumya and his grandmother Jemamani while the bride Reema suffered grievous burn injuries. WATCH| He added that the Crime…
Top Indian-American cancer scientist Inder Verma facing misconduct allegations
Indian-American scientist Inder Verma, considered as one of the worlds leading authorities on gene therapy and cancer, has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct against him. Verma, 70, a scientist at the prestigious Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation into the allegations against him. The institute did not give any reason for suspending Verma. The institute has hired The Rose Group, a San Diego-based international employment law and consulting firm, to investigate allegations, not yet made public, that were reported to the institute in February. Verma, who is also on the boards of several Indian scientific institutes, has denied the allegations. Recently, the institute became aware of allegations concerning Inder Verma. Consistent with Salks policies governing workplace conduct, the institute has undertaken a formal investigation that is being led by an independent outside party, Dan Lewis, chairman of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies said in a statement. He will not be performing scientific or administrative roles on behalf of the institute during this period, he said, without referring to the nature of the investigation. The action against Verma comes nearly four months…
Sealing in Delhi: Centre, AAP government and civic agencies face SC ire for inaction
The Supreme Court today gave a tongue-lashing to the Centre, Delhi government and civic agencies for their failure to stop unauthorised constructions in the national capital, saying that lungs of the citizens, especially children, were damaged due to inaction of the authorities. The top court was critical of the continuous inaction by the authorities and said that the people of Delhi were suffering with problems such as pollution, parking and lack of green areas due to the issues arising out of unauthorised constructions. People of Delhi are suffering. Children are suffering. Our lungs are already damaged. Lungs of our children will also be damaged. Why? Because the Union of India, Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), municipal corporations of Delhi (MCDs) say you can do whatever you want but we will not do anything, a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said. The apex court told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni, representing the Centre, that unless the authorities would realise that the people of Delhi were important, nothing would change. People of Delhi are not cattles .Everybody has some respect in the society, the bench said, adding there was a continuous default on the…
Unnao gangrape allegedly involving BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Senger: Allahabad High Court seeks Yogi Adityanath govt’s stand
The Allahabad High Court today sought the Uttar Pradesh governments stand on the Unnao gangrape case allegedly involving a BJP MLA and details of action taken. A bench of Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar, taking cognisance of the gangrape case in Uttar Pradesh on a letter to the court by senior lawyer Gopal Swaroop Chaturvedi detailing the incident, slated the matter for next hearing on April 12. It sought the state governments stand on the case and also asked the advocate general or one of the additional advocates general to remain present during the course of hearing to apprise the court about the case and action being taken. The court also ordered that the body of the victims father should not be cremated, if not done so. The body was, however, cremated yesterday. The man had died on Monday in custody after his 18-year-old daughter had accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, his brother Atul Singh and his aides of raping her. Chaturvedi demanded fair investigation in the heinous crime and also on the death of the victims father. The police had yesterday arrested Atul Singh in connection with the gangrape of the woman and the…
Delhi chalo, says Mamata Banerjee amid efforts to form anti-BJP front
In the backdrop of efforts by her to unite regional parties to take on the BJP, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said their target was Delhi and the Red Fort, and asserted that the saffron party will never succeed in efforts to win West Bengal. BJP President Amit Shah had said after the partys win in Tripura that its golden era would be when it wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties. Some are saying that the BJPs next target is Bengal. But for the sake of the country we have set our target on Delhi, on Lal Quila (Red Fort), she told a public meeting here, indicating that Trinamool Congress would play a major role in national politics.. Delhi Chalo. Lal Qila Chalo. We believe in Netaji (Subhas Chandra Boses) slogan. Bengal will not bow down to anyone, she said. Curtailing her speech due to heavy showers, she said, Bengal has always shown people the way. Bengal does not want anything and also does not support violence. It does not allow people to indulge in violence. Bengal wants the country and its people to stay well, Banerjee said. She had earlier downplayed the BJPs victory in Tripura…
Kolkata Metro station couple ‘assault’: No clear evidence found in CCTV footage, says Metro Railway General Manager
The Metro Railway today said no clear evidence of the alleged assault of a couple by some people at a station here was found in the CCTV footage. The couple was allegedly thrashed by a group of passengers at the Dumdum metro station on Monday evening, following their public display of affection in a train compartment. No complaint has been lodged after the alleged incident. It came to the metros notice only when a news report came out in a Bengali daily yesterday. We thoroughly checked the CCTV footage at Dumdum and found no clear evidence of any assault, Metro Railway General Manager (GM) Ajay Vijayvargiya told a press conference here. However, there was a faint image of a few persons having assembled at a site at 21:55 hours and the image of a few people exiting from a gate, he said, while replying to a question. As the current metro coaches did not have CCTV cameras, there was no footage of what had actually happened inside the coach after the couple boarded the train at the Chandi Chowk station, Vijayvargiya said. The new coaches, to be commissioned shortly, will have CCTV cameras, he said. The footage and the initial…
SSC paper leak: Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt, asks it to stop playing with future of youth
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today attacked the Narendra Modi-led government for allegedly to hide the SSC paper leak and asked it to stop playing with the future of the youth. He also alleged that the future of the youth was being destroyed and asked whether the jobs were meant only for the rich. The promise of providing two crore jobs to the youth every year was jumla (gimmick). On top of that, vacancies have been decreased, Gandhi claimed on Twitter. Gandhi has often attacked the government on the issue of unemployment and Modi and the government on the promise of creating two crore jobs every year. The big scam has happened under this governments very nose. Saheb should tell why the issue was being hidden, he tweeted in an apparent reference to the prime minister. He said those nationalising the Vyapam scam should be ashamed. The Vyapam scam is related to manipulation in the selection process for government colleges and jobs conducted by the Madhya Pradesh professional examination board or Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam).
After Gautam Gambhir, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar slams Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi
After Gautam Gambhir, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has slammed former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi over the latters controversial tweet on Kashmir. Bhandarkar on Wednesday called Afridis tweet absolutely ridiculous and said everybody knows what kind of proxy war is going on in Kashmir. The Indian Authorities are managing their responsibilities well, he added. On Tuesday, the former Pakistani cricketer alleged on Twitter that there was an appalling and worrisome situation in Kashmir and urged the UN to intervene into the matter. Afridi had tweeted: Appalling and worrisome situation ongoing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.Innocents being shot down by oppressive regime to clamp voice of self determination independence. Wonder where is the @UN other int bodies why arent they making efforts to stop this bloodshed? Appalling and worrisome situation ongoing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.Innocents being shot down by oppressive regime to clamp voice of self determination independence. Wonder where is the @UN other int bodies why arent they making efforts to stop this bloodshed? Gambhir said Afridis tweet on the current situation in Kashmir and his reference to United Nations was according to his age bracket. Gambhir in his reply to Afridi,tweeted, Media called me for reaction on @SAfridiOfficial tweet on…
Arun Jaitley admitted to AIIMS, scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant operation tomorrow
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was today admitted to AIIMS and is scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant operation tomorrow, sources said. Jaitley, 65, has been suffering from a kidney ailment and skipped office since Monday. He has not even taken oath of office after being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. Sources said the minister, who was confined to a controlled environment at home, was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) this evening. A kidney transplant operation is scheduled for tomorrow, they said, adding all formalities for a donor kidney have been completed. The minister, who cancelled his scheduled visit to London for the 10th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue next week, had confirmed his illness in a tweet yesterday. I am being treated for kidney related problems certain infections that I have contracted, he had tweeted. Jaitley, however, had not elaborated on the ailment, but said he was currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me. He is likely to be operated by nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria from Apollo hospital, also brother of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend of…
After winning Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati target Kairana next
After trouncing BJP in the recently-held Lok Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths citadel Gorakhpur and another key constituency Phulpur, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are targeting Kairana next. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati had a detailed conversation in Lucknow yesterday, according to Indian Express report. During the 40-minute dialogue, both the political stalwarts were reportedly looking to elongate the electoral understanding to dent BJPs chances in upcoming polls. The polling for the Lok Sabha seat is necessitated after BJP MP Hukum Singh passed away in February. Reports say that such engagements at the highest level will continue between the two parties. It has been learnt that both SP and BSP have by and large arrived at a consesus on the seat sharing formula. Akhilesh and Mayawati has held telephonic conversations since February. Mayawati yesterday had claimed BJP may advance Lok Sabha polls after Gorakpur, Phulpur and Araria bypolls results. Lok Sabha bypoll in Kairana in communal hotbed of western UP is crucial for BJP, SP and BSP. While BSP may field candidate in Kairana and SP will the back the Mayawatis party. Notably, in Gorakhpur and Phulpur,…
Who is stopping him! Why Vijay Mallya wants to come to India, but he can’t
Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, who had represented Karnataka twice in the Rajya Sabha, today said it was his democratic right to vote in the state assembly polls, but lamanted that he cannot travel to India, where he is wanted to face charges of fraud and money laundering. The 62-year-old former businessman parliamentarian had first represented Karnataka as the member of the Upper House of Parliament between April 10, 2002 and April 9, 2008. It is my democratic right to vote in Karnataka, but as you know I am here and cannot travel, he told reporters outside the Westminister Magistrates Court in connection with a hearing in his ongoing extradition trial, to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities involving an amount of around Rs 9,000 crores, as well as money laundering cases. He was re-elected for the Rajya Sabha from the southern state on July 1, 2010 and resigned on May 5, 2016 before his the expiry of his term on June 30, 2016. He is in the UK since March 2016. When asked about his opinion on the Karnataka polls, he said I havent been following the politics so closely, so I…
Ghaziabad Class IX student found murdered in Greater Noida four days after he went missing
A Class IX Ghaziabad student was found dead in Greater Noida on Friday, four days after he went missing. The police said that the boy was bashed in the skull by the accused after their plan to kidnap him for ransom fell apart. The victim identified as Ayush Sharma was a Class IX student of St Francis School in Indirapuram and was missing since April 16. A complaint was filed the next day and police have arrested the two accused – Avdesh Sharma (19) and a minor. The third accused is currently on run. Police said that the accused had asked for a ransom of Rs 40 lakh from Ayush The police said that the accused were friends with the boy. They were friends, though the boy Meanwhile, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, Vaibhav Krishan revealed that the accused had talked to the boy on his mobile phone at around 1:37 PM on April 16, the day he disappeared. He said that during the questioning, they revealed the location where the boy Initially, the two had called the boy and asked him to get money from his father since they needed to pay off a debt. But he…
Uttar Pradesh’s wild west: 3 wanted criminals killed, 6 held in 7 encounters in 24 hours
In a major crackdown on criminals in western Uttar Pradesh, three wanted law-breakers were killed while six others arrested in seven encounters in four districts, in which six policemen were also injured, officials claimed today. Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Muzaffarnagar were the districts where shoot-outs took place in the past 24 hours in which three criminals were killed and seven arrested, DIG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar said. Six policemen were also injured in the encounters, he told reporters in the state capital. After it swept the UP Assembly polls, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has repeatedly claimed that improving law and order was one of its priorities. One of the gun-fights that took place today was in Sector 119 (phase-3) area in Gautam Buddha Nagar where Shravan Chowdhury, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, was injured, while his accomplice escaped, police officials said. Chowdhury was taken to a district hospital, where he died during treatment, they said. Crime Branch Inspector Balwan Singh and constables Satyaveer and Sanjeev were also injured in the encounter, the DIG said. In Saharanpur, a notorious gangster, Salim, was killed in a shootout in which Sub-Inspector Sachin Sharma of Mandi police station was…
India-China ties: Sushma Swaraj meets Wang Yi, discusses bilateral issues
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and discussed a host of bilateral issues and ways to step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve the relationship. Swaraj arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit to take part in the foreign ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This was their first meeting after Wang was elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be the foreign minister. In her initial remarks, Swaraj congratulated Wang on being elevated as state councillor and appointed the special representative for the India-China boundary talks. Wang said the bilateral ties have witnessed a good development and shown a positive momentum this year under the guidance of the leaders of the two nations. On the eve of the closing of Chinas National Peoples Congress this year, President Xi Jinping received a very important phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the call spurred a positive momentum in the dialogue process between the two countries. Our two leaders had in-depth exchange of views and reached important consensus on furthering the China-India relationship….
Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Rahul Gandhi for his claim on judges appointments
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his claim about huge pendency of cases in courts and shortage of judges, saying the governments notice to Cambridge Analytica for data mining has unnerved the Congress president. 6 Crore+. Yet, a staggering 400 High Court and 6,000 Lower Court judges not appointed, while Law Minister preoccupied peddling fake news, Hitting back at Gandhi for the tweet, Prasad said judiciary has never been made part of any political debate in the country. He also said that in 2016, a record 126 high court judges were appointed in one year, which he claimed was highest since independence The tradition of the country has been that even in case of extreme political hostility, we keep judiciary aside, and we should continue to do so, Prasad told PTI. He wondered whether Rahuls tweet on judicial pendency was a result of nervousness after governments notice to Cambridge Analytica for data mining. Gandhis attack had come after Prasad accused the Congress of hiring the services of the controversial data firm, accused of harvesting data stolen from Facebook, in previous elections. The charge has been denied by the Congress, which instead accused the BJP…
Siddaramaiah-BJP face off over north Indian ‘imports’ jibe
Mocking at the Karnataka BJP unit, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath North Indian imports in the May 12 election campaign and said it had no leaders in the state. Siddaramaiah also said BJPs chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa had been reduced to a dummy. @BJP4Karnataka by waiting for North Indian imports like PM Modi, UPCM Adityanath is admitting they have no leaders in the state. They have reduced their CM face @BSYBJP to a dummy, Siddaramaiah tweeted. He further said the Prime Minister may come and go, but here it is a battle between him and and Yeddyurappa, and the saffron party knows who is winning in the May 12 Assembly polls. In a blistering attack over Siddaramaiahs imports comment, the BJP said his attempt to divide North and South India is disgusting and added it understands his anxiety of beingrejected by his constituents. Imports? How much low can you stoop Mr. CM? Your attempt at North-South divide is disgusting. But we understand your anxiety. While you are rejected by your own constituents, PM Modi has a pan India appeal. Its time you learn a thing or two…
Fire at ISRO, Ahmedabad doused
The fire at the Speaking to news agency ANI, A fire broke out at the Ahmedabad office of ISRO this afternoon. According to news agency ANI, the fire broke out at Space Applications Centre in the area where the machinery was stored. As soon as the administration was informed about the fire, they rushed 25 fire tenders and 10 ambulances to the site. ANI said that one CISF officer was injured in the incident. According to TV9 Gujarati, several local administration officials have reached the office which is located in Ambawadi Vistar area of the city. Quoting sources, it said that the fire broke out in the machinery department of the building. The fire spread as there were chemicals in the area. The building has been evacuated and efforts are underway to douse the flames.
SC dismisses plea of hospitality firm linked to Robert Vadra in Income Tax case
The Supreme Court today dismissed the petition filed by a hospitality firm linked to Robert Vadra challenging an Income Tax (I-T) department notice to it for re-assessment of its profits from land deals in Haryana and Rajasthan for 2010-11. The Delhi-based firm, Sky Light Hospitality LLP, had filed an appeal against the February order of the Delhi High Court which had rejected its petition against the I-T notice. The I-T department, in a tax evasion report tabled before the high court, had said it had reasons to believe that over Rs 35 crore, earned by the firm in 2010-11, had escaped from assessment. The high court had said, After going through the reasons, we are satisfied that the reasons to believe show and establish a live link and connect with the inference drawn that income had escaped assessment, which is required for issuance of notice. In the high court, the firm had challenged the I-T departments notice, contending that the reasons to believe were mere reasons to suspect and do not establish that income had escaped assessment. Disagreeing with the firms contention, the high court had said that absolute certainty is not required at the time of issue of notice…
‘Conspiracy to create problems’ – MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan says Rs 2,000 notes are vanishing
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today claimed that Rs 2,000 notes were vanishing from the market, and alleged that there was a conspiracy behind it. Addressing a farmers convention here, Chouhan said, The currency worth Rs 15,00,000 crore was in circulation before demonetisation. After this exercise (demonetisation), the currency in circulation increased to Rs 16,50,000 crore. But notes of Rs 2,000 are missing from the market. He was apparently referring to news reports of ATMs running out of cash at some places in the state. Where these notes of Rs 2,000 denomination are going, who are keeping them out of circulation? Who are the persons creating shortfall of cash? This is a conspiracy to create problems. The government will act tough on this, he said. He had taken up the issue with the Union Government, Chouhan added. Farmers can call the control room at his official residence on 0755-2540500 if they face any agrarian problem, the chief minister said. Hitting out at opposition Congress, Chouhan said, Last year farmers were instigated in a planned manner..The Congress wants to set the state on fire. Western Madhya Pradesh had witnessed a violent farmers agitation over crop prices and loan waiver…
UP legislative council election 2018: After SP backing, BSP nominee BR Ambedkar files papers
A day after the Samajwadi Party decided to extend support to the BSP in the biennial Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls, B R Ambedkar of Mayawatis party filed his nomination papers here today. Accompanied by senior BSP leaders, including its national general secretary S C Misra, Ambedkar filed two sets of papers, returning officer and Joint Secretary in the Legislative Assembly Ashok Kumar Chaubey told PTI. Ambedkars is the only nomination paper filed so far for the polls to 13 seats of the Legislative Council, he said. Filing of nomination will continue till April 16 and scrutiny will be done the next day. The last date of withdrawal of nomination paper is April 19. The election will be held on April 26 and counting of votes will take place the same day. Ambedkar had contested the Rajya Sabha polls as a joint opposition candidate of the BSP-SP last month, but lost to the BJPs Anil Agarwal in second preferential vote. Today, Misra exuded confidence that his partys candidate will make it to the Upper House of the state legislature with the support of the Samajwadi Party. In a move signalling further consolidation of the new found friendship, the Samajwadi Party…