Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sent a legal notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, and the BJP's chief minister candidate for Karnataka BS Yeddyurappa.&nbsp;

The six-page legal notice accuses them of civil and criminal defamation.&nbsp;

Siddaramaiah, who has demanded a public apology, has said he will sue the trio for Rs 100 crore if an apology is not forthcoming.&nbsp;

News reports Monday said Siddaramaiah had taken exception to Prime Minister Modi's "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-election-2018-sidda-rupaiya-govt-expert-at-graft-says-pm-narendra-modi-in-ballari-134371">Seedha-Rupiah</a>" (money up front) comment.

Modi had made the comment on the Karnataka campaign trail. Modi had been trying to say that nothing gets done in Karnataka until money is first paid to the Karnataka government.&nbsp;

The Karnataka Chief Minister has said in his notice, the news reports said, that that was a personal attack.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-assembly-election-2018-modi-and-yogi-are-north-indian-imports-says-siddaramaiah-132772">Modi and Yogi are north Indian imports, says Siddaramaiah</a>

Modi and the BJP have been relentlessly attacking the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka of corruption. They have also called his government a "10 per cent government".&nbsp;

Siddaramaiah has taken exception to Prime MInister Modi's 'Seedha-Rupiah' comment. He has threatened to sue for Rs 100 crore if the apology is not forthcoming

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sent a legal notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, and the BJP's chief minister candidate for Karnataka BS Yeddyurappa. The six-page legal notice accuses them of civil and criminal defamation. Siddaramaiah, who has demanded a public apology, has said he will sue the trio for Rs 100 crore if an apology is not forthcoming. News reports Monday said Siddaramaiah had taken exception to Prime Minister Modi's "Seedha-Rupiah" (money up front) comment. Modi had made the comment on the Karnataka campaign trail. Modi had been trying to say that nothing gets done in Karnataka until money is first paid to the Karnataka government. The Karnataka Chief Minister has said in his notice, the news reports said, that that was a personal attack. Also read: Modi and Yogi are north Indian imports, says Siddaramaiah Modi and the BJP have been relentlessly attacking the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka of corruption. They have also called his government a "10 per cent government".

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sends defamation notice to Modi, Amit Shah, demands public apology

Indian men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh was recommended for this year's Arjuna Award by the national federation on Thursday.

Singh, who led the team at last month's Commonwealth Games, is among the three players recommended for the great award. &nbsp;

Dharamvir Singh, another experienced mid-fielder, and Indian women's team goalkeeper Savita have also been recommended for the same.&nbsp;

"Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu and former men's captain Bharat Chettri have been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement," Hockey India said in a statement.

Hockey India also recommended Coach BS Chauhan for the Dronacharya Award.

Speaking on the recommendations, Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General, Hockey India said, "They have proven their worth with significant performances that has elevated the Indian team to new heights."

"They have donned the India colours with pride and have given it their all to help the team win several accolades within the country and internationally. We at Hockey India are proud of their achievements and are happy to recommend their names for the National awards," he added.

Manpreet captained the Indian team in the absence of PR Sreejesh who was injured last year.&nbsp;

Manpreet was part of the Asia Cup success where India beat Malaysia to lift the title. 
&nbsp;

Singh led the team at last month's Commonwealth Games,

Indian men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh was recommended for this year's Arjuna Award by the national federation on Thursday. Singh, who led the team at last month's Commonwealth Games, is among the three players recommended for the great award. Dharamvir Singh, another experienced mid-fielder, and Indian women's team goalkeeper Savita have also been recommended for the same. "Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu and former men's captain Bharat Chettri have been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement," Hockey India said in a statement. Hockey India also recommended Coach BS Chauhan for the Dronacharya Award. Speaking on the recommendations, Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General, Hockey India said, "They have proven their worth with significant performances that has elevated the Indian team to new heights." "They have donned the India colours with pride and have given it their all to help the team win several accolades within the country and internationally. We at Hockey India are proud of their achievements and are happy to recommend their names for the National awards," he added. Manpreet captained the Indian team in the absence of PR Sreejesh who was injured last year. Manpreet was part of the Asia Cup success where India beat Malaysia to lift the title.

Indian men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh recommended for Arjuna Award

A member of Britain's House of Lords was today forced to deny that he is a racist after he called Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar a "typical Indian"&nbsp;on social media.

He tweeted the comment in response to a&nbsp;news story in which Varadkar was accused of "poor manners" over his visit to Northern Ireland on Monday.

Former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt&nbsp;tweeted that he could only interpret it as a "racist comment".

Lord Kilclooney told BBC he rejected "false accusations of racism". Lord Kilclooney, a former member of the Ulster Unionist Party or UUP in Northern Ireland, was responding to a BBC headline on Twitter which read: "DUP: Varadkar's visit to Northern Ireland showed disrespect". Mr Kilclooney tweeted back yesterday with the words&nbsp;"typical Indian".

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DUP: Varadkar's visit to Northern Ireland showed 'disrespect' <a href="https://t.co/luWmC4BCVR">https://t.co/luWmC4BCVR</a>
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"I am certainly no racist and in particular have an admiration for Indians. A member of the British/Indian APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group), only yesterday I had a reply from 10, Downing St asking for a relaxation of visas for Indians. My point was that the PM (Varadkar) had upset Unionists more than Irish PMs had," he later tweeted, after being accused of racism. 
 
But many took to Twitter to condemn his words, including former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt who said it could only be interpreted as a racist comment. 
 
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said Lord Kilclooney was "an embarrassment"

She said his latest comment was a "slur on all Indian people with his use of the word 'typical'" and demanded that the Speaker of the House of Lords raise the matter with the peer. 
 
Democratic Unionist Party or DUP MLA Christopher Stalford tweeted: "I don't know what John Taylor (Lord Kilclooney) thinks he's playing at but he doesn't speak for me. Absolutely ridiculous behavior." 
 
The 80-year-old life peer defended his remark by saying Varadkar had been "most provocative" over the course of the Brexit negotiations and had "misunderstood the views of many unionists". He added that the Irish premier had a "dismal lack of knowledge" about Northern Ireland affairs. 
 
The comments came after Northern Ireland's DUP accused Maharashtrian-origin&nbsp;Varadkar of breach of protocol saying he visited the region without informing local elected representatives of his visit to counties Armagh and Down. The Irish leader stressed that he followed standard protocol by informing the Northern Ireland Office of his visit. 
 
I can assure anyone that I'm not an invader. I just want to be a good neighbour and I received a very warm welcome in Northern Ireland,"&nbsp;Varadkar said. 
 
"The only future that we have on this island is to work together and that's what I want to do. I'm not here to upset anyone or make anyone uncomfortable. I'm just here as a neighbour," he added. 
 
Ireland and Northern Ireland have a long history of political troubles, brought to the fore by the ongoing Brexit negotiations which will leave European Union member-state Ireland bordering a non-EU member state, Northern Ireland. The border issue is seen as a major stumbling block in Britain and the EU finalising any exit deal. 
 
This is not the first time&nbsp;Kilclooney has been caught up in a racism controversy. Last November, he acknowledged that a remark he made about&nbsp;Varadkar had caused "upset and misunderstanding" and withdrew his tweet that referred to the premier as "the Indian".

"In Twitter one is restricted to a limited number of words and so for shorthand, I used the term Indian for the new PM in Dublin. This has caused upset and misunderstanding and so I withdraw it. I am no way racist and accept that Mr Varadkar is a 100 per cent Irish citizen," he had said at the time.

(With inputs from PTI)

Lord Kilclooney, a former member of the Ulster Unionist Party or UUP in Northern Ireland, was responding to a BBC headline on Twitter which read: 'DUP: Varadkar's visit to Northern Ireland showed disrespect'

A member of Britain's House of Lords was today forced to deny that he is a racist after he called Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar a "typical Indian" on social media. He tweeted the comment in response to a news story in which Varadkar was accused of "poor manners" over his visit to Northern Ireland on Monday. Former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt tweeted that he could only interpret it as a "racist comment". Lord Kilclooney told BBC he rejected "false accusations of racism". Lord Kilclooney, a former member of the Ulster Unionist Party or UUP in Northern Ireland, was responding to a BBC headline on Twitter which read: "DUP: Varadkar's visit to Northern Ireland showed disrespect". Mr Kilclooney tweeted back yesterday with the words "typical Indian". DUP: Varadkar's visit to Northern Ireland showed 'disrespect' https://t.co/luWmC4BCVR — BBC Newsline (@bbcnewsline) April 30, 2018 × "I am certainly no racist and in particular have an admiration for Indians. A member of the British/Indian APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group), only yesterday I had a reply from 10, Downing St asking for a relaxation of visas for Indians. My point was that the PM (Varadkar) had upset Unionists more than Irish PMs had," he later tweeted, after being accused of racism. But many took to Twitter to condemn his words, including former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt who said it could only be interpreted as a racist comment. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said Lord Kilclooney was "an embarrassment" She said his latest comment was a "slur on all Indian people with his use of the word 'typical'" and demanded that the Speaker of the House of Lords raise the matter with the peer. Democratic Unionist Party or DUP MLA Christopher Stalford tweeted: "I don't know what John Taylor (Lord Kilclooney) thinks he's playing at but he doesn't speak for me. Absolutely ridiculous behavior." The 80-year-old life peer defended his remark by saying Varadkar had been "most provocative" over the course of the Brexit negotiations and had "misunderstood the views of many unionists". He added that the Irish premier had a "dismal lack of knowledge" about Northern Ireland affairs. The comments came after Northern Ireland's DUP accused Maharashtrian-origin Varadkar of breach of protocol saying he visited the region without informing local elected representatives of his visit to counties Armagh and Down. The Irish leader stressed that he followed standard protocol by informing the Northern Ireland Office of his visit. I can assure anyone that I'm not an invader. I just want to be a good neighbour and I received a very warm welcome in Northern Ireland," Varadkar said. "The only future that we have on this island is to work together and that's what I want to do. I'm not here to upset anyone or make anyone uncomfortable. I'm just here as a neighbour," he added. Ireland and Northern Ireland have a long history of political troubles, brought to the fore by the ongoing Brexit negotiations which will leave European Union member-state Ireland bordering a non-EU member state, Northern Ireland. The border issue is seen as a major stumbling block in Britain and the EU finalising any exit deal. This is not the first time Kilclooney has been caught up in a racism controversy. Last November, he acknowledged that a remark he made about Varadkar had caused "upset and misunderstanding" and withdrew his tweet that referred to the premier as "the Indian". "In Twitter one is restricted to a limited number of words and so for shorthand, I used the term Indian for the new PM in Dublin. This has caused upset and misunderstanding and so I withdraw it. I am no way racist and accept that Mr Varadkar is a 100 per cent Irish citizen," he had said at the time. (With inputs from PTI)

Irish PM Leo Varadkar called 'typical Indian' by UK peer who says he was not being racist

The two-day-long informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spills into its second and final day. After holding bilateral discussions on the first day, PM Modi is expected to return to India after spending time exploring the picturesque city of Wuhan along with the Chinese president today.&nbsp;

PM Modi will take a walk around a guesthouse with Xi on Saturday, then an hour-long boat trip on a lake followed by lunch, before the meeting ends, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry.&nbsp;The leaders&nbsp;are expected to brief reporters at the end of the summit.

According to the sources, the idea of the summit is to facilitate strategic communication channel at the highest level between India and China.

Earlier on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping drew a parallel between the Indus and Chinese civilizations, both of which sprawled around rivers.

PM Modi and Xi visited the exhibition of Marquis Yi of Zeng Cultural Relics and Treasure at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan.

"The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting during which they exchanged views on solidifying our bilateral relationship," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

During the talks, Modi offered to host the next informal summit with Xi in India next year. "I'll be happy if, in 2019, we can have such informal summit in India," Modi told Xi.

The Chinese president said he believes in future and they can meet in a format like this from time to time.

"I believe in the future, we will meet in a format like this, from time to time. I look forward to in-depth communication with your Excellency, and ensure we can build common understanding and help to take the China-India relationship to the next level," Xi said.

Billed by both sides as an informal meeting rather than a summit, President Xi and PM Modi held talks on Friday that lasted far longer than expected.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A private lunch will be hosted by the Chinese President later in the day

The two-day-long informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spills into its second and final day. After holding bilateral discussions on the first day, PM Modi is expected to return to India after spending time exploring the picturesque city of Wuhan along with the Chinese president today. PM Modi will take a walk around a guesthouse with Xi on Saturday, then an hour-long boat trip on a lake followed by lunch, before the meeting ends, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry. The leaders are expected to brief reporters at the end of the summit. According to the sources, the idea of the summit is to facilitate strategic communication channel at the highest level between India and China. Earlier on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping drew a parallel between the Indus and Chinese civilizations, both of which sprawled around rivers. PM Modi and Xi visited the exhibition of Marquis Yi of Zeng Cultural Relics and Treasure at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan. "The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting during which they exchanged views on solidifying our bilateral relationship," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. During the talks, Modi offered to host the next informal summit with Xi in India next year. "I'll be happy if, in 2019, we can have such informal summit in India," Modi told Xi. The Chinese president said he believes in future and they can meet in a format like this from time to time. "I believe in the future, we will meet in a format like this, from time to time. I look forward to in-depth communication with your Excellency, and ensure we can build common understanding and help to take the China-India relationship to the next level," Xi said. Billed by both sides as an informal meeting rather than a summit, President Xi and PM Modi held talks on Friday that lasted far longer than expected. (With inputs from agencies)

Wuhan summit: On day 2, PM Modi, Xi to bond over boat ride, lavish lunch

Jammu High Court Bar Association (JHCBA) tells SC that it did not support lawyers protest in connection with Kathua gangrape-murder case.

Bar Council of India tells SC that it has set up a team, headed by a former HC judge to examine the matter.

The Bar Association of Jammu on April 13 said that it was extending its strike till April 17 against the “growing illegal presence of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals,” while alleging that its agitation for a CBI probe into the Kathua rape-cum-murder case was wrongly being portrayed as “communal”.

(With inputs from PTI)

Bar Council of India tells SC that it has set up a team, headed by a former HC judge to examine the matter.

Jammu High Court Bar Association (JHCBA) tells SC that it did not support lawyers protest in connection with Kathua gangrape-murder case. Bar Council of India tells SC that it has set up a team, headed by a former HC judge to examine the matter. The Bar Association of Jammu on April 13 said that it was extending its strike till April 17 against the “growing illegal presence of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals,” while alleging that its agitation for a CBI probe into the Kathua rape-cum-murder case was wrongly being portrayed as “communal”. (With inputs from PTI)

Didn't support lawyers protest in connection with Kathua case: Jammu Bar Association to SC

Delhi High Court has ordered media houses who had revealed the identity of Kathua rape case victim and to whom notices were issued to pay Rs 10 lakh each to the court.

According to ANI, the Court will transfer the amount to J&K victims compensation fund.

On April 13, Delhi Court had issued notices to media houses for leaking the identity of the 8-year old girl, who was gang-raped in Kathua district, in Jammu & Kashmir.

The High Court, in its notices to media houses, had sought their response as to why no action should be taken against them.

The Court also said that anyone who discloses rape victim's identity can be imprisoned for 6 months.

Next date of hearing in the case is on April 25.

The girl from the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community had disappeared from near her home in the forests next to her village in Kathua, 90 km from here, on January 10.

A week later, her body was found in the same area.

The state police Crime Branch, which probed the case, filed the main charge sheet against seven accused persons and a separate charge sheet against a juvenile in a court in Kathua district earlier this week.

The charge sheet revealed chilling details about how the girl was allegedly kidnapped, drugged, raped inside a place of worship before being killed.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Court will transfer the amount to J&K victims compensation fund.

Delhi High Court has ordered media houses who had revealed the identity of Kathua rape case victim and to whom notices were issued to pay Rs 10 lakh each to the court. According to ANI, the Court will transfer the amount to J&K victims compensation fund. On April 13, Delhi Court had issued notices to media houses for leaking the identity of the 8-year old girl, who was gang-raped in Kathua district, in Jammu & Kashmir. The High Court, in its notices to media houses, had sought their response as to why no action should be taken against them. The Court also said that anyone who discloses rape victim's identity can be imprisoned for 6 months. Next date of hearing in the case is on April 25. The girl from the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community had disappeared from near her home in the forests next to her village in Kathua, 90 km from here, on January 10. A week later, her body was found in the same area. The state police Crime Branch, which probed the case, filed the main charge sheet against seven accused persons and a separate charge sheet against a juvenile in a court in Kathua district earlier this week. The charge sheet revealed chilling details about how the girl was allegedly kidnapped, drugged, raped inside a place of worship before being killed. (With inputs from Agencies)

Delhi High Court raps media houses for revealing Kathua gang rape victim's identity, says pay Rs 10 lakh each

After losing the first game against Wales, Indian women's hockey team is back on track as they have thrashed team Malaysia by 4-1 in the second Pool A match on Friday at 21st Commonwealth Games.

Indian defender Gurjit Kaur converted two penalty corners (6th and 39th minute) to inspire the team to such a crucial victory also skipper Rani Rampal and Lalremsiami's scored the other two goals in the 56th and 59th minute respectively to solidify the win.

The Indian captain said, "It's quite a good result, in the second half we did much better. Malaysia played well in the first and second quarters and didn't give us much space."

She mentioned about the yesterday's loss to Wales and said, "Yesterday (Thursday 5 April) was quite a bad day, but in sport sometimes you lose and we now have to bounce back. Today our defensive structure was good and we played a controlled game."

Malaysian captain Siti Ruhani said that the team is guilt for giving away too many chances. While interacting with media she said, "This game was a close competitive match except for the last quarter. We gave them too many chances to score."

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FT. The Indian Eves put on a dominating show in their second match of the <a href="https://twitter.com/GC2018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GC2018</a> Commonwealth Games in Australia on 6th April, as an imposing performance showed off their ability to take full control of a game.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaKaGame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaKaGame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HallaHockeyKa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HallaHockeyKa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvMAS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvMAS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GC2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GC2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/kHzw8gnTEl">pic.twitter.com/kHzw8gnTEl</a>
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHockeyIndia/status/982143104751779841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Here are some moments captured from the Indian Eves’ dominating win against Malaysia in the second group stage match at the <a href="https://twitter.com/GC2018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GC2018</a> XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia on 6th April. Album- <a href="https://t.co/j3W7qSLmCR">https://t.co/j3W7qSLmCR</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaKaGame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaKaGame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HallaHockeyKa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HallaHockeyKa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GC2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GC2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/r9dANHbxci">pic.twitter.com/r9dANHbxci</a>
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHockeyIndia/status/982154343682945025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp

Indian women's hockey team is back on track as they have thrashed team Malaysia by 4-1 in the second Pool A match

After losing the first game against Wales, Indian women's hockey team is back on track as they have thrashed team Malaysia by 4-1 in the second Pool A match on Friday at 21st Commonwealth Games. Indian defender Gurjit Kaur converted two penalty corners (6th and 39th minute) to inspire the team to such a crucial victory also skipper Rani Rampal and Lalremsiami's scored the other two goals in the 56th and 59th minute respectively to solidify the win. The Indian captain said, "It's quite a good result, in the second half we did much better. Malaysia played well in the first and second quarters and didn't give us much space." She mentioned about the yesterday's loss to Wales and said, "Yesterday (Thursday 5 April) was quite a bad day, but in sport sometimes you lose and we now have to bounce back. Today our defensive structure was good and we played a controlled game." Malaysian captain Siti Ruhani said that the team is guilt for giving away too many chances. While interacting with media she said, "This game was a close competitive match except for the last quarter. We gave them too many chances to score." FT. The Indian Eves put on a dominating show in their second match of the @GC2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia on 6th April, as an imposing performance showed off their ability to take full control of a game.#IndiaKaGame #HallaHockeyKa #INDvMAS #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/kHzw8gnTEl — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) April 6, 2018 × Here are some moments captured from the Indian Eves’ dominating win against Malaysia in the second group stage match at the @GC2018 XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia on 6th April. Album- https://t.co/j3W7qSLmCR#IndiaKaGame #HallaHockeyKa #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/r9dANHbxci — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) April 6, 2018 ×

Commonwealth Games: Indian women bounce back, defeat Malaysia in 2nd hockey match

If there was one thing that had remained constant — so far — in the 46-month-old Modi government, it was the steadfastness with which the government stuck to many of its controversial decisions, refusing to buckle under criticism or adverse public opinion.&nbsp;

April 3, 2018 changed that.

The government's decision to roll back a proposed crackdown on “fake news” in less than 24 hours could arguably be the first and most significant retreat of the Modi government as it nears completing four years in office and plans to get into election mode with just over a year remaining for the next Lok Sabha polls.

The crackdown — which mandated penalties ranging from the suspension to the cancellation of the accreditation of journalists found guilty of reporting “fake news” — was proposed by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry piloted by Smriti Irani. It was disposed of by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

Could it be the case that the government had not factored in the furore that erupted following the I&B ministry's diktat? Unlikely. Was it an attempt at testing the waters then? One thing is clear: the speed at which the course-correction took place was unprecedented.

On the face of it, many would think that the I&B ministry erred and was set right by the Prime Minister's Office. But those who cover the government know only too well the overarching control the PMO exercises on all the ministries. Simply put, to think that Irani's ministry could have come up with the diktat without keeping the PMO in the loop is being naive at best. And the Prime Minister directing that the press release regarding fake news be withdrawn and that the matter should only be addressed by the Press Council of India is nothing more than damage control.

Now coming to the diktat itself. Was it really about fake news? That's the big question. Those who would have been impacted by the amended guidelines were journalists accredited with the Government of India — mostly working for the national media and covering the Central government. Does the government have enough reason to believe that these “accredited journalists” are peddling “fake news”? Or was it just an attempt to create a mechanism to muzzle some inconvenient voices — accredited ones, of course.

What made the I&B directive more curious was that it proposed nothing to deal with social media — the most fertile breeding ground for fake news in today's India. Instead, it proposed something bordering on the draconian — immediate suspension of a journalist's accreditation the moment a complaint is registered and sent for inquiry to the Press Council of India or the News Broadcasters Association.

As a barrage of criticism broke loose, the I&B ministry made a feeble attempt at arguing that the “fake news” cases will be determined by PCI and NBA which are not “regulated” or “operated” by the Central government. That is akin to saying the I&B ministry maintains an arm's length distance from Prasar Bharati.

Off the record, in private conversations, central bureaucrats and political insiders have often underlined how the incumbent government was not a “rollback sarkar”. Let's a take a few examples from the I&B ministry itself. Pune's FTII was on the boil for months following Gajendra Chauhan's appointment to its helm, but the government did not budge. As CBFC chief, Pahlaj Nihalani not only kept raising the hackles of the Hindi film industry but was also an embarrassment to the government. But he was persisted with. Because this was not a rollback government, the government machinery argued.&nbsp;

April 3, 2018 changed that.

And to think that Smriti Irani's I&B ministry could have come up with the diktat, proposing the cancellation of the accreditation of journalists found guilty of publishing 'fake news', without keeping the PMO in the loop is being naive at best

If there was one thing that had remained constant — so far — in the 46-month-old Modi government, it was the steadfastness with which the government stuck to many of its controversial decisions, refusing to buckle under criticism or adverse public opinion. April 3, 2018 changed that. The government's decision to roll back a proposed crackdown on “fake news” in less than 24 hours could arguably be the first and most significant retreat of the Modi government as it nears completing four years in office and plans to get into election mode with just over a year remaining for the next Lok Sabha polls. The crackdown — which mandated penalties ranging from the suspension to the cancellation of the accreditation of journalists found guilty of reporting “fake news” — was proposed by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry piloted by Smriti Irani. It was disposed of by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Could it be the case that the government had not factored in the furore that erupted following the I&B ministry's diktat? Unlikely. Was it an attempt at testing the waters then? One thing is clear: the speed at which the course-correction took place was unprecedented. On the face of it, many would think that the I&B ministry erred and was set right by the Prime Minister's Office. But those who cover the government know only too well the overarching control the PMO exercises on all the ministries. Simply put, to think that Irani's ministry could have come up with the diktat without keeping the PMO in the loop is being naive at best. And the Prime Minister directing that the press release regarding fake news be withdrawn and that the matter should only be addressed by the Press Council of India is nothing more than damage control. Now coming to the diktat itself. Was it really about fake news? That's the big question. Those who would have been impacted by the amended guidelines were journalists accredited with the Government of India — mostly working for the national media and covering the Central government. Does the government have enough reason to believe that these “accredited journalists” are peddling “fake news”? Or was it just an attempt to create a mechanism to muzzle some inconvenient voices — accredited ones, of course. What made the I&B directive more curious was that it proposed nothing to deal with social media — the most fertile breeding ground for fake news in today's India. Instead, it proposed something bordering on the draconian — immediate suspension of a journalist's accreditation the moment a complaint is registered and sent for inquiry to the Press Council of India or the News Broadcasters Association. As a barrage of criticism broke loose, the I&B ministry made a feeble attempt at arguing that the “fake news” cases will be determined by PCI and NBA which are not “regulated” or “operated” by the Central government. That is akin to saying the I&B ministry maintains an arm's length distance from Prasar Bharati. Off the record, in private conversations, central bureaucrats and political insiders have often underlined how the incumbent government was not a “rollback sarkar”. Let's a take a few examples from the I&B ministry itself. Pune's FTII was on the boil for months following Gajendra Chauhan's appointment to its helm, but the government did not budge. As CBFC chief, Pahlaj Nihalani not only kept raising the hackles of the Hindi film industry but was also an embarrassment to the government. But he was persisted with. Because this was not a rollback government, the government machinery argued. April 3, 2018 changed that.

Opinion: Rollback of fake news crackdown is Modi government's first, most significant retreat

An Indian national has been arrested for allegedly fleeing to Malaysia with 470,000 Singapore dollar of his employer, according to a media report on Sunday.

Bahurudeen Kuthpudeen, 43, was charged with one count of criminal breach of trust as servant.

The police had received a report on Tuesday that an employee of a money changer had been missing with 470,000 ($357,907)&nbsp;in cash which was supposed to be couriered to the company's office.&nbsp;

The suspect, an Indian national, had already left Singapore for Malaysia before the report was made, said police.

He was eventually arrested in Malaysia on Wednesday with help from the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and was extradited back to Singapore the next day.

About S$24,000 in cash was recovered.

Bahurudeen will be remanded for a week at the Central Police Division. He will be back in court on Friday at 9am.

If convicted, he can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined, the report said.

Bahurudeen Kuthpudeen, 43, took 470,000 Singapore dollars and was charged with one count of criminal breach of trust as servant

An Indian national has been arrested for allegedly fleeing to Malaysia with 470,000 Singapore dollar of his employer, according to a media report on Sunday. Bahurudeen Kuthpudeen, 43, was charged with one count of criminal breach of trust as servant. The police had received a report on Tuesday that an employee of a money changer had been missing with 470,000 ($357,907) in cash which was supposed to be couriered to the company's office. The suspect, an Indian national, had already left Singapore for Malaysia before the report was made, said police. He was eventually arrested in Malaysia on Wednesday with help from the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and was extradited back to Singapore the next day. About S$24,000 in cash was recovered. Bahurudeen will be remanded for a week at the Central Police Division. He will be back in court on Friday at 9am. If convicted, he can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined, the report said.

Indian who stole Singapore employer's money arrested in Malaysia

A team of 20 Indian doctors is expected to visit Pakistan to examine mentally unsound, women, children and elderly people who are locked up in Pakistan prisons. The prisoners have been waiting for repatriation since early March 2018. The countries are in talks over the issue of visas. However, sources say that Pakistan may deny giving Visas to such a large number of doctors. Before arriving at any decision, Indian has laid out four crucial conditions including an immediate end to harassment of Indian diplomats, unhindered movement of Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria outside the Pakistan capital, construction of Indian residents in Islamabad and to allow Indian diplomats membership of Islamabad Club. The move came after the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with the Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood in October 2017. Swaraj in the meeting had initiated of undertaking humanitarian measures related to elderly, women, children and mentally unsound prisoners.

A team of 20 Indian doctors is expected to visit Pakistan to examine mentally unsound, women, children and elderly people who are locked up in Pakistan prisons

A team of 20 Indian doctors is expected to visit Pakistan to examine mentally unsound, women, children and elderly people who are locked up in Pakistan prisons. The prisoners have been waiting for repatriation since early March 2018. The countries are in talks over the issue of visas. However, sources say that Pakistan may deny giving Visas to such a large number of doctors. Before arriving at any decision, Indian has laid out four crucial conditions including an immediate end to harassment of Indian diplomats, unhindered movement of Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria outside the Pakistan capital, construction of Indian residents in Islamabad and to allow Indian diplomats membership of Islamabad Club. The move came after the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with the Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood in October 2017. Swaraj in the meeting had initiated of undertaking humanitarian measures related to elderly, women, children and mentally unsound prisoners.

20 Indian doctors may visit Pakistan to examine Indian prisoners

Aruna Budda Reddy today created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup as she clinched a bronze in the women&#39;s vault event here.

The 22-year-old Reddy, who hails from Hyderabad, scored 13.649 average points to win the bronze at the Hisense Arena here.

Tjasa Kysslef of Slovania won the gold with a score of 13.800 while Emily Whitehead of Australia took the silver with 13.699.

Another Indian in the final round, Pranati Nayak finished sixth with a score of 13.416. The sport of gymnastics has a series of World Cup events in a year and they are second in importance after the World Championships.

&quot;Aruna is now the first and the only Indian to have won a medal in the World Cup and we are proud of her,&quot; Shantikumar Singh, secretary of a faction of Gymnastics Federation of India, told PTI.

Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in the 2016 Rio Olympics in women&#39;s vault event, has won a bronze each in the Asian Championships and 2014 Commonwealth Games but not at the level of a World Cup.

This was Aruna&#39;s first international medal through she has taken part at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Asian Games and the 2017 Asian Championships.

Her best international performance before today&#39;s feat was the sixth place finish at the 2017 Asian Championships vault event. In all the other international events, she could not go beyond the qualification stage.

Aruna will also contest in the final round of the floor event tomorrow. In other events, Rakesh Patra finished fourth in the men&#39;s rings event. He is still in the fray for the final round of the parallel bars tomorrow.

The 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and 2-14 Asian Games bronze medallist Ashish Kumar will also feature in the men&#39;s vault event final round tomorrow after he finished sixth in the qualifying round.

Sixteen countries are featuring in the World Cup series event this year across two days of qualification with the top eight teams athletes on each apparatus heading to the finals.

The 22-year-old won the women’s vault bronze medal

Aruna Budda Reddy today created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup as she clinched a bronze in the women's vault event here. The 22-year-old Reddy, who hails from Hyderabad, scored 13.649 average points to win the bronze at the Hisense Arena here. Tjasa Kysslef of Slovania won the gold with a score of 13.800 while Emily Whitehead of Australia took the silver with 13.699. Another Indian in the final round, Pranati Nayak finished sixth with a score of 13.416. The sport of gymnastics has a series of World Cup events in a year and they are second in importance after the World Championships. "Aruna is now the first and the only Indian to have won a medal in the World Cup and we are proud of her," Shantikumar Singh, secretary of a faction of Gymnastics Federation of India, told PTI. Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in the 2016 Rio Olympics in women's vault event, has won a bronze each in the Asian Championships and 2014 Commonwealth Games but not at the level of a World Cup. This was Aruna's first international medal through she has taken part at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Asian Games and the 2017 Asian Championships. Her best international performance before today's feat was the sixth place finish at the 2017 Asian Championships vault event. In all the other international events, she could not go beyond the qualification stage. Aruna will also contest in the final round of the floor event tomorrow. In other events, Rakesh Patra finished fourth in the men's rings event. He is still in the fray for the final round of the parallel bars tomorrow. The 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and 2-14 Asian Games bronze medallist Ashish Kumar will also feature in the men's vault event final round tomorrow after he finished sixth in the qualifying round. Sixteen countries are featuring in the World Cup series event this year across two days of qualification with the top eight teams athletes on each apparatus heading to the finals.

Aruna Reddy becomes 1st Indian to win bronze at Gymnastics World Cup

Parliament in the Maldives on Tuesday approved a 30-day extension of a state of emergency sought by President Abdulla Yameen who cited an ongoing national security threat and constitutional crisis.

Countries including the United States, India and Canada along with the United Nations have urged Yameen to lift the emergency and restore normalcy.

Tour operators say hundreds of hotel bookings have been cancelled daily since the 15-day emergency was imposed on Feb. 5 despite government assurances that all is normal in the resort islands, which are far from the capital.

Yameen imposed the emergency to annul a Supreme Court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders and ordered his government to free those held in prison.

The emergency &quot;shall only apply to those alleged to have carried out illegal activities &ndash; it shall not apply to otherwise law abiding residents of, or visitors to, the Maldives,&quot; a statement from Yameen`s office said on Tuesday.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Tuesday saying Washington was disappointed by the extension of the state of emergency.

Since Feb. 5, the government has arrested the chief justice, another Supreme Court judge and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on charges of attempting to usurp power.

Yameen has ignored the court rulings but stopped short of saying he would not obey them. He has jailed opposition members and fired two police chiefs who said they would uphold the court rulings.

Yameen took power in 2013 and his recent moves aim to consolidate power ahead of an election this year.&nbsp;

The country`s neighbour India urged the government to release the nine opposition leaders as required by the Supreme Court.

All 38 ruling party lawmakers approved the vote at an extraordinary session of parliament boycotted by the opposition who cited the constitution to say it required 43 MPs.

Former president Mohamed Nasheed, who is in exile, said the government could not extend the emergency without 43 votes.

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, leader of the opposition coalition`s parliamentary group, said: &quot;This state of emergency is illegal .... Yameen has, in effect, hijacked the entire state and is ruling the Maldives like a military dictator.&quot;

Parliament says it passed the extension to the emergency under a procedure that does not require a quorum and it sought an opinion on the matter from the Supreme Court.

Former attorney general Ahmed Ali Sawad said more than half of MPs should be present for a vote on the emergency decree.

&quot;This is fundamental legislative check on an executive action having wide ranging ramifications on the rights, liberties and affairs of the people,&quot; Sawad told Reuters.

Shahinda Ismail, executive director of Maldives Democracy Network said the ruling party has effectively and completely removed all democratic and lawful systems of governance.

President Yameen imposed the emergency to annul a Supreme Court ruling

Parliament in the Maldives on Tuesday approved a 30-day extension of a state of emergency sought by President Abdulla Yameen who cited an ongoing national security threat and constitutional crisis. Countries including the United States, India and Canada along with the United Nations have urged Yameen to lift the emergency and restore normalcy. Tour operators say hundreds of hotel bookings have been cancelled daily since the 15-day emergency was imposed on Feb. 5 despite government assurances that all is normal in the resort islands, which are far from the capital. Yameen imposed the emergency to annul a Supreme Court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders and ordered his government to free those held in prison. The emergency "shall only apply to those alleged to have carried out illegal activities – it shall not apply to otherwise law abiding residents of, or visitors to, the Maldives," a statement from Yameen`s office said on Tuesday. The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Tuesday saying Washington was disappointed by the extension of the state of emergency. Since Feb. 5, the government has arrested the chief justice, another Supreme Court judge and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on charges of attempting to usurp power. Yameen has ignored the court rulings but stopped short of saying he would not obey them. He has jailed opposition members and fired two police chiefs who said they would uphold the court rulings. Yameen took power in 2013 and his recent moves aim to consolidate power ahead of an election this year. The country`s neighbour India urged the government to release the nine opposition leaders as required by the Supreme Court. All 38 ruling party lawmakers approved the vote at an extraordinary session of parliament boycotted by the opposition who cited the constitution to say it required 43 MPs. Former president Mohamed Nasheed, who is in exile, said the government could not extend the emergency without 43 votes. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, leader of the opposition coalition`s parliamentary group, said: "This state of emergency is illegal .... Yameen has, in effect, hijacked the entire state and is ruling the Maldives like a military dictator." Parliament says it passed the extension to the emergency under a procedure that does not require a quorum and it sought an opinion on the matter from the Supreme Court. Former attorney general Ahmed Ali Sawad said more than half of MPs should be present for a vote on the emergency decree. "This is fundamental legislative check on an executive action having wide ranging ramifications on the rights, liberties and affairs of the people," Sawad told Reuters. Shahinda Ismail, executive director of Maldives Democracy Network said the ruling party has effectively and completely removed all democratic and lawful systems of governance.

Maldives parliament extends emergency by 30 days

One of the UK&rsquo;s leading state-funded schools which had hit the headlines as one of the first to impose a ban on the hijab for girls under eight has been forced to reverse its decision after widespread criticism.

St Stephen&rsquo;s School in Newham, east London, had been planning to extend the ban to girls under 11 later this year but has chosen to withdraw the plans.

&ldquo;The school&rsquo;s uniform policy is based on the health, safety and welfare of our children. The school has taken the decision to make changes to this policy with immediate effect and this follows on from conversations with our school community,&rdquo; the school said in a statement.

&ldquo;We will work with our school community to continue to review this policy going forward in the best interests of our children,&rdquo; it adds.

Arif Qawi, the chair of governors of the school who had recently called on the UK government to take a firm stand on young children wearing the hijab and fasting during Ramadan, resigned from his post on Friday.

According to The Sunday Times, the resignation followed offensive messages posted on social media against him and the school&rsquo;s Indian-origin principal Neena Lall.

&ldquo;Now the head-teacher needs to go. Kick her out and force her to wear hijab. Let her see what forcing means,&rdquo; one of the messages against Lall reads.

Under the UK&rsquo;s Department for Education guidelines, uniform policy is a matter for individual head-teachers and their governing bodies.

The school, with a majority of pupils from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, had urged the UK government to issue clear guidelines on the issue of hijab-wearing and religious fasting relating to very young pupils to prevent a backlash from parents.

&ldquo;The department should step up and take it out of our hands and tell every school this is how it (fasting) should be... the same for the hijab, it should not be our decision. It is unfair to teachers and very unfair to governors. We are unpaid. Why should we get the backlash,&rdquo; Qawi had said.

Amina Lone, co-founder of the UK&rsquo;s Social Action and Research Foundation who has campaigned for young girls not to have to wear the hijab, warned that after his resignation other schools in the country would find themselves under pressure if the Department for Education did not issue clear guidelines.

&ldquo;These issues are not going away,&rdquo; she said.

The Department for Education said it is a matter for individual schools to decide how to &ldquo;accommodate children observing Ramadan, and to set uniform policies&rdquo;.

&ldquo;But we would expect them to consider the needs of their pupils, and to listen to the views of local parents,&rdquo; a spokesperson said.

In November 2017, St Stephen&rsquo;s School had topped a prestigious primary schools league table published by The Sunday Times annually. It was listed as the best school in England in the Schools Guide 2018 for a strong teaching record.

St Stephen’s School in east London has a majority of pupils from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, and had urged the UK govt to issue clear guidelines on hijab-wearing and religious fasting for pupils

One of the UK’s leading state-funded schools which had hit the headlines as one of the first to impose a ban on the hijab for girls under eight has been forced to reverse its decision after widespread criticism. St Stephen’s School in Newham, east London, had been planning to extend the ban to girls under 11 later this year but has chosen to withdraw the plans. “The school’s uniform policy is based on the health, safety and welfare of our children. The school has taken the decision to make changes to this policy with immediate effect and this follows on from conversations with our school community,” the school said in a statement. “We will work with our school community to continue to review this policy going forward in the best interests of our children,” it adds. Arif Qawi, the chair of governors of the school who had recently called on the UK government to take a firm stand on young children wearing the hijab and fasting during Ramadan, resigned from his post on Friday. According to The Sunday Times, the resignation followed offensive messages posted on social media against him and the school’s Indian-origin principal Neena Lall. “Now the head-teacher needs to go. Kick her out and force her to wear hijab. Let her see what forcing means,” one of the messages against Lall reads. Under the UK’s Department for Education guidelines, uniform policy is a matter for individual head-teachers and their governing bodies. The school, with a majority of pupils from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, had urged the UK government to issue clear guidelines on the issue of hijab-wearing and religious fasting relating to very young pupils to prevent a backlash from parents. “The department should step up and take it out of our hands and tell every school this is how it (fasting) should be... the same for the hijab, it should not be our decision. It is unfair to teachers and very unfair to governors. We are unpaid. Why should we get the backlash,” Qawi had said. Amina Lone, co-founder of the UK’s Social Action and Research Foundation who has campaigned for young girls not to have to wear the hijab, warned that after his resignation other schools in the country would find themselves under pressure if the Department for Education did not issue clear guidelines. “These issues are not going away,” she said. The Department for Education said it is a matter for individual schools to decide how to “accommodate children observing Ramadan, and to set uniform policies”. “But we would expect them to consider the needs of their pupils, and to listen to the views of local parents,” a spokesperson said. In November 2017, St Stephen’s School had topped a prestigious primary schools league table published by The Sunday Times annually. It was listed as the best school in England in the Schools Guide 2018 for a strong teaching record.

UK school reverses ban on hijab after criticism

Two journalists, an Indian and a British national of Indian origin, who were arrested on Friday in the Maldives under State of Emergency decree for national security purposes will be deported, the police said.

Indian citizen Money Sharma from Amritsar and India-born British national Atish Ravji Patel, both working for AFP, were in the crisis-hit Indian Ocean atoll nation to cover the state of Emergency, which was declared on February 6 by President Abdulla Yameen.

The two were taken into police custody on Friday and will be deported as they were &ldquo;working in the country on a tourist visa in violation of the immigration law.&rdquo; However, no legal action will be taken against them, the Maldives government said in a press release.

&ldquo;We would like to note that although they (the two journalists) have been asked to leave the Maldives, no other legal steps shall be taken against them,&rdquo; the statement said.

&ldquo;All foreign nationals intending to work in the country should obtain either a business or work visa and this applies to journalists as well,&rdquo; it said.

India&#39;s external affairs ministry confirmed that it had received information about an Indian national, Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained.

&quot;Received information about an Indian national, Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained by the Maldivian authorities. We have asked our Embassy to get in touch with the local authorities to ascertain more details of the case,&quot; the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

&quot;We don&#39;t have freedom of press anymore. Last night one of the leading TV stations was closed. We call for their immediate release and restoration of democracy and rule of law,&quot; Ali Zahir, Member of Parliament, Maldives said about the arrest of the two reporters.

&nbsp;

Indian citizen Money Sharma from Amritsar and India-born British national Atish Ravji Patel, both working for AFP, were in the crisis-hit Indian Ocean atoll nation to cover the state of Emergency, which was declared on February 6 by President Abdulla Yameen

Two journalists, an Indian and a British national of Indian origin, who were arrested on Friday in the Maldives under State of Emergency decree for national security purposes will be deported, the police said. Indian citizen Money Sharma from Amritsar and India-born British national Atish Ravji Patel, both working for AFP, were in the crisis-hit Indian Ocean atoll nation to cover the state of Emergency, which was declared on February 6 by President Abdulla Yameen. The two were taken into police custody on Friday and will be deported as they were “working in the country on a tourist visa in violation of the immigration law.” However, no legal action will be taken against them, the Maldives government said in a press release. “We would like to note that although they (the two journalists) have been asked to leave the Maldives, no other legal steps shall be taken against them,” the statement said. “All foreign nationals intending to work in the country should obtain either a business or work visa and this applies to journalists as well,” it said. India's external affairs ministry confirmed that it had received information about an Indian national, Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained. "Received information about an Indian national, Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained by the Maldivian authorities. We have asked our Embassy to get in touch with the local authorities to ascertain more details of the case," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. "We don't have freedom of press anymore. Last night one of the leading TV stations was closed. We call for their immediate release and restoration of democracy and rule of law," Ali Zahir, Member of Parliament, Maldives said about the arrest of the two reporters.

Indian, British journalists arrested in Maldives to be deported

India said today that the status quo has not been altered at Doklam, where Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a stand-off for over two months last year, and rejected any suggestion to the contrary as &quot;inaccurate and mischievous&quot;.

&quot;Our attention has been drawn to some reports that question the accuracy of the position stated by the government in respect to the situation in Doklam,&quot; Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He said that in response to repeated questions about any change in the status quo at the face-off site, the government has stated that there was no basis for such imputations.

&quot;Government would once again reiterate that the status quo at the face-off site has not been altered. Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate and mischievous,&quot; he said.

Kumar&#39;s remarks come in the wake of media reports about China carrying out some infrastructure development in the disputed region.

Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand-off for over two months last year in the Doklam area near Sikkim before &quot;disengaging&quot; on August 28.

Last year a face-off situation that had arisen in the Doklam region, was resolved following diplomatic discussions between India and China

India said today that the status quo has not been altered at Doklam, where Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a stand-off for over two months last year, and rejected any suggestion to the contrary as "inaccurate and mischievous". "Our attention has been drawn to some reports that question the accuracy of the position stated by the government in respect to the situation in Doklam," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He said that in response to repeated questions about any change in the status quo at the face-off site, the government has stated that there was no basis for such imputations. "Government would once again reiterate that the status quo at the face-off site has not been altered. Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate and mischievous," he said. Kumar's remarks come in the wake of media reports about China carrying out some infrastructure development in the disputed region. Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand-off for over two months last year in the Doklam area near Sikkim before "disengaging" on August 28.

Status quo not altered at Doklam: India

Marzina Bibi, a Muslim woman living in Assam, is petrified she will be declared stateless.

The 26-year-old&#39;s name was not on a preliminary list of citizens that was published at midnight on Sunday, although she holds a voter identity card and had voted in state elections in 2016.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/assam-tense-ahead-of-citizens-list-targeting-illegal-bangladeshis-27998">&quot;Why are they doing this to me?&quot;</a> Bibi asked, sitting beside a bamboo mat she was weaving outside her mud house in Assam&#39;s Fofonga village. &quot;They think I am a Bangladeshi. I was born here, my parents were born here, I am an Indian.&quot;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power in Assam in the April, 2016 elections, vowed during the campaign to act against illegal Muslim immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. But rights activists say the drive is also targeting Muslims who are Indian citizens.

Two national spokesmen for the BJP declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi did not reply to e-mails and a telephone call seeking comment.

Citizenship and illegal migration are volatile issues in tea-growing and oil-rich Assam, home to more than 32 million people, about a third of whom are Muslims. Hundreds of people were killed in the 1980s in a violent protest by a native Assamese group against outsiders from the state taking the bulk of jobs and cornering resources, including land.

For the latest update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), all residents of Assam had to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in the country before March 24, 1971, to be recognised as Indian citizens.

According to the preliminary list of the NRC, about 19 million people in Assam have now been verified as Indian citizens. More names will be added, and officials say the final list is likely to be published in July.

Reuters spoke to nearly two dozen Muslims, including Bibi, from paddy-growing villages around Fofonga who said their names were not on the preliminary list.

&quot;I feel we are targeted because we are Muslims,&quot; said Bibi, who said she has already proved she was Indian - she was jailed for eight months on charges of being an illegal migrant from Bangladesh and was let off only after showing documents attesting to her nationality.

Surrounded by her neighbours in the village, she showed her voter identity card and the court order for her release from jail.

No religious bias&nbsp;

The BJP has said previous governments have included many Bangladeshi immigrants on electoral rolls to buy votes.

At the local NRC office in the Muslim-majority area, only around 4,500 people had made it to the preliminary list out of nearly 11,000 who had applied.

The government officer in charge of the centre, Gautam Sharmah, said there was no religious bias against Muslims.

&quot;That&#39;s impossible. We only look at documents,&quot; Sharmah said at his office, as people trickled in to look for their names on the second day of the list&#39;s publication. &quot;The time taken in the verification process depends on what kind of documents people submit.&quot;

Reuters saw a tribal Hindu man leaving the NRC office with a smile after being told that the names of all six members of his family were on the list. Soon after, two Muslim women came with their infants, and left disappointed.

Hundreds of thousands of people fled to India from Muslim-majority Bangladesh after it declared independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971, setting off a nine-month civil war. Most of them settled in Assam and the neighbouring state of West Bengal, where there are similar demands to send back illegal Muslim immigrants.

The migrants include many Hindus, but the federal BJP government has said they will not be deported.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam&#39;s finance minister who is also in charge of the citizenship register, told Reuters that all those whose names do not figure in the final NRC list would be segregated.

&quot;Deportation is an issue handled by the central government,&quot; Sarma said.

&quot;Hindu Bangladeshis who had faced persecution should be given shelter in India and that is the central government&#39;s stand.&quot;

Muslims leaders have called the NRC a tool to make them stateless, likening themselves to Myanmar&#39;s persecuted Rohingya minority. They have also warned of unrest.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told the Times of India daily that the &quot;people who are declared foreigners will be barred from all constitutional rights, including fundamental and electoral. They will have only one right &mdash; human rights as guaranteed by the U.N. that include food, shelter and clothing&quot;.

In Fofonga, Bibi said she would challenge the list if it did not include her and her family as citizens.

&quot;We are poor people, my husband is a labourer,&quot; she said, going back to weaving her mat. &quot;But I will go to court if we are left out.&quot;

'Why are they doing this to me? They think I am a Bangladeshi. I was born here, my parents were born here, I am an Indian,' said Marzina Bibi, whose name was not included in the first draft of the National Register of Citizens

Marzina Bibi, a Muslim woman living in Assam, is petrified she will be declared stateless. The 26-year-old's name was not on a preliminary list of citizens that was published at midnight on Sunday, although she holds a voter identity card and had voted in state elections in 2016. "Why are they doing this to me?" Bibi asked, sitting beside a bamboo mat she was weaving outside her mud house in Assam's Fofonga village. "They think I am a Bangladeshi. I was born here, my parents were born here, I am an Indian." Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power in Assam in the April, 2016 elections, vowed during the campaign to act against illegal Muslim immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. But rights activists say the drive is also targeting Muslims who are Indian citizens. Two national spokesmen for the BJP declined to comment. A spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi did not reply to e-mails and a telephone call seeking comment. Citizenship and illegal migration are volatile issues in tea-growing and oil-rich Assam, home to more than 32 million people, about a third of whom are Muslims. Hundreds of people were killed in the 1980s in a violent protest by a native Assamese group against outsiders from the state taking the bulk of jobs and cornering resources, including land. For the latest update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), all residents of Assam had to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in the country before March 24, 1971, to be recognised as Indian citizens. According to the preliminary list of the NRC, about 19 million people in Assam have now been verified as Indian citizens. More names will be added, and officials say the final list is likely to be published in July. Reuters spoke to nearly two dozen Muslims, including Bibi, from paddy-growing villages around Fofonga who said their names were not on the preliminary list. "I feel we are targeted because we are Muslims," said Bibi, who said she has already proved she was Indian - she was jailed for eight months on charges of being an illegal migrant from Bangladesh and was let off only after showing documents attesting to her nationality. Surrounded by her neighbours in the village, she showed her voter identity card and the court order for her release from jail. No religious bias The BJP has said previous governments have included many Bangladeshi immigrants on electoral rolls to buy votes. At the local NRC office in the Muslim-majority area, only around 4,500 people had made it to the preliminary list out of nearly 11,000 who had applied. The government officer in charge of the centre, Gautam Sharmah, said there was no religious bias against Muslims. "That's impossible. We only look at documents," Sharmah said at his office, as people trickled in to look for their names on the second day of the list's publication. "The time taken in the verification process depends on what kind of documents people submit." Reuters saw a tribal Hindu man leaving the NRC office with a smile after being told that the names of all six members of his family were on the list. Soon after, two Muslim women came with their infants, and left disappointed. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to India from Muslim-majority Bangladesh after it declared independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971, setting off a nine-month civil war. Most of them settled in Assam and the neighbouring state of West Bengal, where there are similar demands to send back illegal Muslim immigrants. The migrants include many Hindus, but the federal BJP government has said they will not be deported. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam's finance minister who is also in charge of the citizenship register, told Reuters that all those whose names do not figure in the final NRC list would be segregated. "Deportation is an issue handled by the central government," Sarma said. "Hindu Bangladeshis who had faced persecution should be given shelter in India and that is the central government's stand." Muslims leaders have called the NRC a tool to make them stateless, likening themselves to Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority. They have also warned of unrest. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told the Times of India daily that the "people who are declared foreigners will be barred from all constitutional rights, including fundamental and electoral. They will have only one right — human rights as guaranteed by the U.N. that include food, shelter and clothing". In Fofonga, Bibi said she would challenge the list if it did not include her and her family as citizens. "We are poor people, my husband is a labourer," she said, going back to weaving her mat. "But I will go to court if we are left out."

Indian or not? Fear in Assam over citizens' register

Two groups of African men went on the rampage at a Delhi hospital,&nbsp;attacking each other with meat cleavers, swords, rods, bottles&nbsp;and baseball, and in the process&nbsp;damaged several furniture and equipment in the hospital on Monday.

CCTV footage showed the men going on a rampage inside the hospital&nbsp;smashing the door to reach the reception area.

The incident took place around 4am&nbsp;when four African men entered the hospital with a woman who had head injuries. &nbsp;

According to eyewitnesses, the melee began when another African man arrived there in an autorickshaw. On seeing him, the youths started thrashing him. The hapless man ran into the hospital to save himself but was followed by the irate group.

The mob went on a rampage inside the hospital smashing the furniture and the laboratory of the hospital.&nbsp;They also allegedly roughed up the hospital receptionist. &nbsp;

Police registered a case of rioting, arson, and assault based on a statement of an employee at&nbsp;the hospital.

Police officers say that they have recovered three CCTV footages from the hospital in which the attackers were seen smashing the doors and glasses.&nbsp;

It was found that the two group had gone to a restaurant near Mehrauli church and got into a fight with each other during which one of them had smashed a beer bottle on the woman&#39;s head. A fight had ensued after that. While they had reached the hospital another youth from the rival group too reached there due to which another fight ensued.

Two groups of African men went on the rampage at a city hospital in Saket attacking each other with meat cleavers, swords, rods, bottles, and baseball, in the process, they also damaged furniture and equipment in the hospital

Two groups of African men went on the rampage at a Delhi hospital, attacking each other with meat cleavers, swords, rods, bottles and baseball, and in the process damaged several furniture and equipment in the hospital on Monday. CCTV footage showed the men going on a rampage inside the hospital smashing the door to reach the reception area. The incident took place around 4am when four African men entered the hospital with a woman who had head injuries. According to eyewitnesses, the melee began when another African man arrived there in an autorickshaw. On seeing him, the youths started thrashing him. The hapless man ran into the hospital to save himself but was followed by the irate group. The mob went on a rampage inside the hospital smashing the furniture and the laboratory of the hospital. They also allegedly roughed up the hospital receptionist. Police registered a case of rioting, arson, and assault based on a statement of an employee at the hospital. Police officers say that they have recovered three CCTV footages from the hospital in which the attackers were seen smashing the doors and glasses. It was found that the two group had gone to a restaurant near Mehrauli church and got into a fight with each other during which one of them had smashed a beer bottle on the woman's head. A fight had ensued after that. While they had reached the hospital another youth from the rival group too reached there due to which another fight ensued.

Two groups of Africans go on rampage at Delhi hospital

Chetan Bhagat and immaculate English don&rsquo;t usually go in the same sentence, but a grammatical error made by the&nbsp;popular pulp fiction writer had the&nbsp;Twitterati&nbsp;trolling him. Bhagat had tweeted out a comment on&nbsp;Washington Post&#39;s article on the iconic Taj Mahal being not included in the Uttar Pradesh Tourism booklet.&nbsp;

Bhagat posted a poll with a tweet which basically posed the question if Indians saw Taj Mahal as a&nbsp;Muslim monument: &quot;Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a &#39;Muslim&#39; monument (as @washingtonpost&nbsp;is saying it&#39;s being neglected because it is Muslim).&quot; Last checked, 84 per cent of those responding said they saw Taj as an Indian monument, while another 16 per cent felt it was a Muslim one.&nbsp;

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Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a &#39;Muslim&#39; monument (as <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washingtonpost is saying it&#39;s being neglected because it is Muslim)</a>

&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">&mdash; Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) </a><a href="https://twitter.com/chetan_bhagat/status/915429847408590848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/chetan_bhagat/status/915429847408590848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">&nbsp; <script?async?src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&nbsp;</a></div>
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However, some tweeters decided to latch on to the&nbsp;&#39;grammatically&nbsp;incorrect English&#39; in the&nbsp;Tweet by Bhagat who has often defended his English&nbsp;as simple and easy to understand&nbsp;even for those not educated in the language.&nbsp;

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As an Indian once wanted to Saw the Taj but they didn&rsquo;t let me enter with a Saw and said u can only see the Taj, not saw it <a href="https://t.co/TkS20ixwaX">https://t.co/TkS20ixwaX</a>

&nbsp;
<a href="https://t.co/TkS20ixwaX">&mdash; Joy (@Joydas) </a><a href="https://twitter.com/Joydas/status/915534349486796801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/Joydas/status/915534349486796801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">&nbsp; <script?async?src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&nbsp; </a></div>
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Some even put up mock polls in response to Bhagat&#39;s poll on the&nbsp;Indian-ness&nbsp;of Taj.&nbsp;

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How do you see Chetan Bhagat

&nbsp;
&mdash; Pun of God (@Punofgod) <a href="https://twitter.com/Punofgod/status/915514243180527616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/Punofgod/status/915514243180527616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">&nbsp; <script?async?src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&nbsp;</a></div>
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The former investment banker turned &quot;dramedy&nbsp;writer&quot;, as Wikipedia describes him, has also tried his hand at Bollywood script writing and has written &#39;Kai Poche&#39;&nbsp;and &#39;Two States&#39;, both Hindi films based on his books.

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For a guy who claims to be a writer in English, that&#39;s some really bad grammar!
&mdash; ?SoM? (@crazy4fawad) <a href="https://twitter.com/crazy4fawad/status/915460631385559040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Bhagat even&nbsp;apologised&nbsp;for the error which he said was because of the &quot;auto-correct&quot; feature on his phone, but some even suggested he read Wren &amp; Martin, the English&nbsp;grammar book&nbsp;most school-going children in India read.

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Yes I apologise for the phone autocorrect typo. Though I think everyone did get the point. Oh, btw it is Come On! Not Common! <a href="https://t.co/3aWSIAzMsi">https://t.co/3aWSIAzMsi</a>
&mdash; Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) <a href="https://twitter.com/chetan_bhagat/status/916212855212408832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a &#39;Muslim&#39; monument (as <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washingtonpost</a> is saying it&#39;s being neglected because it is Muslim)
&mdash; Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) <a href="https://twitter.com/chetan_bhagat/status/915429847408590848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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so If Trump says or feels something we can say America says or feels the same? <a href="https://t.co/8FHeeKBqWQ">https://t.co/8FHeeKBqWQ</a>
&mdash; Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) <a href="https://twitter.com/chetan_bhagat/status/915524686439620608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Bhagat had tweeted his comment in response to the Washington Post article asking 'Is India neglecting the Taj because it was built by Muslims?'

Chetan Bhagat and immaculate English don’t usually go in the same sentence, but a grammatical error made by the popular pulp fiction writer had the Twitterati trolling him. Bhagat had tweeted out a comment on Washington Post's article on the iconic Taj Mahal being not included in the Uttar Pradesh Tourism booklet. Bhagat posted a poll with a tweet which basically posed the question if Indians saw Taj Mahal as a Muslim monument: "Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a 'Muslim' monument (as @washingtonpost is saying it's being neglected because it is Muslim)." Last checked, 84 per cent of those responding said they saw Taj as an Indian monument, while another 16 per cent felt it was a Muslim one. Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a 'Muslim' monument (as @washingtonpost is saying it's being neglected because it is Muslim) — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 4, 2017 × However, some tweeters decided to latch on to the 'grammatically incorrect English' in the Tweet by Bhagat who has often defended his English as simple and easy to understand even for those not educated in the language. As an Indian once wanted to Saw the Taj but they didn’t let me enter with a Saw and said u can only see the Taj, not saw it https://t.co/TkS20ixwaX — Joy (@Joydas) October 4, 2017 × Some even put up mock polls in response to Bhagat's poll on the Indian-ness of Taj. How do you see Chetan Bhagat — Pun of God (@Punofgod) October 4, 2017 × The former investment banker turned "dramedy writer", as Wikipedia describes him, has also tried his hand at Bollywood script writing and has written 'Kai Poche' and 'Two States', both Hindi films based on his books. For a guy who claims to be a writer in English, that's some really bad grammar! — ?SoM? (@crazy4fawad) October 4, 2017 × Bhagat even apologised for the error which he said was because of the "auto-correct" feature on his phone, but some even suggested he read Wren & Martin, the English grammar book most school-going children in India read. Yes I apologise for the phone autocorrect typo. Though I think everyone did get the point. Oh, btw it is Come On! Not Common! https://t.co/3aWSIAzMsi — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 6, 2017 × Did you ever, as an Indian, saw the Taj as a 'Muslim' monument (as @washingtonpost is saying it's being neglected because it is Muslim) — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 4, 2017 × so If Trump says or feels something we can say America says or feels the same? https://t.co/8FHeeKBqWQ — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 4, 2017 ×

Chetan Bhagat tweets 'did you saw the Taj...', Twitter replies 'really bad grammar'

The Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday on the Rohingya matter.&nbsp;

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the total number of &quot;such illegal immigrants into our country&quot; was more than 40,000, approximately.&nbsp;

The Centre added that the &quot;continuance of the Rohingyas&rsquo; illegal immigration into India and their continued stay has serious national security ramifications and threats&quot;.&nbsp;

The Centre added that it has &quot;contemporaneous inputs from security agencies indicating links of some unauthorised Rohingyas with Pakistan terror organisations&quot;.&nbsp;

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Centre has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs indicating links of some unauthorized <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rohingyas?src=hash">#Rohingyas</a> with Pak terror orgs:Centre in SC
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909677729104068608">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal /anti national activities i.e. mobilization of funds through hundi/hawala channels: Centre in SC 1/2
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909678218252132352">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Procuring fake Indian identities for other <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rohingyas?src=hash">#Rohingyas</a> and also indulging in human trafficking: Centre in SC 2/2
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909678338737704960">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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The Centre added that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities ie mobilisation of funds through hundi/ hawala channels.&nbsp;

The Centre added that these Rohingyas are procuring fake Indian identities for other Rohingyas and that they are also indulging in human trafficking.&nbsp;

The Centre added that the &quot;court may decline interference, leaving to Centre to exercise essential executive function by way of policy decision&quot;.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on October 3.&nbsp;

The Centre added that these Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities, ie the mobilisation of funds through hawala channels

The Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday on the Rohingya matter. The Centre told the Supreme Court that the total number of "such illegal immigrants into our country" was more than 40,000, approximately. The Centre added that the "continuance of the Rohingyas’ illegal immigration into India and their continued stay has serious national security ramifications and threats". The Centre added that it has "contemporaneous inputs from security agencies indicating links of some unauthorised Rohingyas with Pakistan terror organisations". Centre has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs indicating links of some unauthorized #Rohingyas with Pak terror orgs:Centre in SC — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal /anti national activities i.e. mobilization of funds through hundi/hawala channels: Centre in SC 1/2 — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × Procuring fake Indian identities for other #Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking: Centre in SC 2/2 — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × The Centre added that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities ie mobilisation of funds through hundi/ hawala channels. The Centre added that these Rohingyas are procuring fake Indian identities for other Rohingyas and that they are also indulging in human trafficking. The Centre added that the "court may decline interference, leaving to Centre to exercise essential executive function by way of policy decision". The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on October 3.

Some Rohingya have links with Pakistan terror groups, Centre tells Supreme Court

Research:&nbsp;Saurabh Goenka

India&#39;s most wanted criminal and underworld don&nbsp;- Dawood Ibrahim is the only Indian to be listed in the&nbsp;UK Financial Sanctions list. The repercussions of being listed are that - firstly, Financial Sanctions can apply to individuals, entities and governments, who may be resident in the UK or abroad.

Secondly, a targeted asset freeze usually prohibits anyone from dealing with funds or economic resources belonging to or owned, held or controlled by a designated person, and it also prohibits anyone from making funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of a designated person.

Interesting listed points&nbsp;

It can interestingly be noted that there are 261 individuals and 80 organisations in the &ldquo;ISIL and Al-Qaida Organisations&rsquo;&rsquo; category under which the name of Dawood Ibrahim is included.

There are several Pakistani individuals and organisations which are part of this sanction list including - Hizbul Mujahidin, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Hafiz Saeed.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Dawood Ibrahim was placed in this sanction list for the first time on 7th Nov 2003. And he is currently the only person of Indian origin who has been placed on the list.

The sanction list is categorised in various regimes and includes the following number of individuals in each category:

Afghanistan- 136 
Belarus- 4 
Burundi- 4 
Central African Republic- 11 
The Democratic Republic of the Congo- 47 
Egypt- 15 
Iran (Human Rights)- 82 
Iran (Nuclear Proliferation)- 58 
Iraq- 86 
Libya- 38 
North Korea (Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea)- 100 
Republic of Guinea- 5 
Republic of Guinea-Bissau- 21 
Somalia- 13 
South Sudan- 6 
Sudan- 4 
Syria- 255 
Terrorism and Terrorist Financing- 18 
The ISIL (Da&rsquo;esh) and Al-Qaida organisations- 261 
Tunisia- 48 
UK Freezing Orders- 2 
Ukraine(Misappropriation)- 15 
Ukraine(Sovereignty)- 153 
Yemen- 5 
Zimbabwe- 2

Business and Finances of Dawood

It is said that Dawood has a business interest in 16 countries in 5 continents including Europe, Africa and South Asia. His businesses are spread over India, Pakistan, UK, Germany, Turkey, France, Spain, Morocco, Cyprus, UAE, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

As per Forbes 2015 estimates his net worth was at $6.7 billion, which places him above people like Gautam Adani and Sunil Mittal in terms of net worth. Also, Dawood is the biggest operator of an international betting syndicate. His betting syndicate derives strength from his hawala operation based out of Dubai.

Dawood&#39;s business interests include terror funding, drug trafficking and counterfeiting. However, in a dossier created by the investigators, the officials have stated that his&nbsp;current focus of the business&nbsp;is to promote and expand the business of conflict diamonds (a term used for a diamond mined in a war zone) in Africa and Dubai.

Dawood is said to have assets worth USD 450 million in the UK alone with more than 50 properties in UAE and UK.

Among various other Pakistani individuals and organisations like Hizbul Mujahidin, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Dawood is the one listed from India.

Research: Saurabh Goenka India's most wanted criminal and underworld don - Dawood Ibrahim is the only Indian to be listed in the UK Financial Sanctions list. The repercussions of being listed are that - firstly, Financial Sanctions can apply to individuals, entities and governments, who may be resident in the UK or abroad. Secondly, a targeted asset freeze usually prohibits anyone from dealing with funds or economic resources belonging to or owned, held or controlled by a designated person, and it also prohibits anyone from making funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of a designated person. Interesting listed points It can interestingly be noted that there are 261 individuals and 80 organisations in the “ISIL and Al-Qaida Organisations’’ category under which the name of Dawood Ibrahim is included. There are several Pakistani individuals and organisations which are part of this sanction list including - Hizbul Mujahidin, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Hafiz Saeed. Dawood Ibrahim was placed in this sanction list for the first time on 7th Nov 2003. And he is currently the only person of Indian origin who has been placed on the list. The sanction list is categorised in various regimes and includes the following number of individuals in each category: Afghanistan- 136 Belarus- 4 Burundi- 4 Central African Republic- 11 The Democratic Republic of the Congo- 47 Egypt- 15 Iran (Human Rights)- 82 Iran (Nuclear Proliferation)- 58 Iraq- 86 Libya- 38 North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)- 100 Republic of Guinea- 5 Republic of Guinea-Bissau- 21 Somalia- 13 South Sudan- 6 Sudan- 4 Syria- 255 Terrorism and Terrorist Financing- 18 The ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida organisations- 261 Tunisia- 48 UK Freezing Orders- 2 Ukraine(Misappropriation)- 15 Ukraine(Sovereignty)- 153 Yemen- 5 Zimbabwe- 2 Business and Finances of Dawood It is said that Dawood has a business interest in 16 countries in 5 continents including Europe, Africa and South Asia. His businesses are spread over India, Pakistan, UK, Germany, Turkey, France, Spain, Morocco, Cyprus, UAE, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. As per Forbes 2015 estimates his net worth was at $6.7 billion, which places him above people like Gautam Adani and Sunil Mittal in terms of net worth. Also, Dawood is the biggest operator of an international betting syndicate. His betting syndicate derives strength from his hawala operation based out of Dubai. Dawood's business interests include terror funding, drug trafficking and counterfeiting. However, in a dossier created by the investigators, the officials have stated that his current focus of the business is to promote and expand the business of conflict diamonds (a term used for a diamond mined in a war zone) in Africa and Dubai. Dawood is said to have assets worth USD 450 million in the UK alone with more than 50 properties in UAE and UK.

Dawood, the only Indian listed in the UK Financial Sanctions

National-level archer Gohela Boro fell mysteriously ill last year. She was treated in Assam, with her treatment funded by individual contributions. &nbsp;

But a campaign by WION has finally got the sports ministry to help fund her treatment, and she is now being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.&nbsp;

There has also been some clarity on the condition ailing her.&nbsp;

 
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWIONews%2Fvideos%2Fvb.451369008407073%2F631532770390695%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe>&nbsp;

WION met with&nbsp;Gohela&#39;s family at AIIMS on Sunday.

Smiling and happy to receive visitors in her hospital room, Gohela said, &ldquo;I feel better now. Before getting admitted here I was in a lot of pain. Past one year I have had malaria and typhoid several times -- which led to constant pain in the joints. Doctors say that I have gangrene which has affected my hands and legs. Doctors have removed the affected areas -- three toes -- on my right foot.&rdquo;

According to the doctors at AIIMS, &ldquo;Gohela is suffering from a condition in which blood supply to some parts of her body suddenly stops. It results in parts of her body drying up -- leading to severe pain. She is suffering from gangrene that has affected fingers of both hands and legs.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Gohela has not been able to walk for months now because of the gangrene. Doctors have surgically removed three toes of her right foot and are now debating whether they should also amputate the affected fingers on her right hand since she is unable to use it.&nbsp;

Despite the prognosis, Gohela&#39;s family looks more relieved than ever.

Her parents are back home in Assam taking care of Gohela&rsquo;s other siblings but Gohela&#39;s younger sister Dane and her fiance Sansuma Basumataray are at AIIMS looking after her.

&ldquo;I am very happy now as didi (elder sister) is getting proper treatment. Didi has been admitted for 10 days now and she has shown improvement. We paid for medicines for first three days only, after which the sports ministry intervened and arranged for our medicines to be free of cost,&rdquo; said Dane.&nbsp;

Gohela comes from a small village called New Amguri in Kokrajhar in Assam.&nbsp;

Owing to &ldquo;no good hospitals, comparable to AIIMS or Apollo in Assam&rdquo;, said Dane, Gohela was treated at a hospital in Guwahati last year when her health deteriorated. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We tried to stay strong. People from Bodoland and an MLA from Assam gave us some money during the initial phase. When we got Rs 1,50,000, we took her to a hospital in Guwahati but when she got sick again in January this year, we couldn&rsquo;t take her to a hospital,&rdquo; said Dane.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Doctors at the Guwahati hospital advised Gohela to be taken to AIIMS in Delhi or Apollo in Chennai for intensive care and treatment&rdquo; but the family of ten did not have the money for it, until now.&nbsp;

The family never lost hope though.&nbsp;

Said Sansuma, &ldquo;After January, when we had exhausted all our funds, I even thought of selling my land to fund her medical treatment. But it didn&rsquo;t go through. We then took another route and with the help of Assam government sport bodies, we wrote letters of help. It attracted media attention.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Discovery Club, an NGO, also helped us in this struggle. Media has contributed a lot in making people notice Gohela and empathise with her story. Today, sports ministry is funding her entire treatment.&rdquo;

Sansuma met Gohela in 2006 while they were in school. They exchanged rings in February 2015 with the promise to marry in three years.

&ldquo;Only two years are left now, I can&rsquo;t wait to get married to Gohela. I left my studies because I wanted to take care of her. I just hope to see her stand on her feet again and play,&rdquo;&nbsp;he added. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Gohela dreams of resuming her archery. &ldquo;Doctors are saying that I will be fine but it will take time. I can&#39;t walk at the moment but I hope I will be able to. I want to train like before and practise archery again but I&#39;m scared. I&#39;ll try, I know it will be difficult,&quot;&nbsp;she said.&nbsp;

Doctors at AIIMS have asked for a &ldquo;couple of days to get clarity on Gohela&rsquo;s condition&rdquo;.

Her&nbsp;family meanwhile, while grateful for the support from the ministry, is also skeptical about future.

&ldquo;We don&#39;t know who will provide for Gohela once she is discharged from here and what if the illness comes back once we return to Assam?&rdquo; asks Dane.&nbsp;

(WION)

Gohela, who is being treated at Delhi's AIIMS, has had three toes on her right foot amputated

National-level archer Gohela Boro fell mysteriously ill last year. She was treated in Assam, with her treatment funded by individual contributions. But a campaign by WION has finally got the sports ministry to help fund her treatment, and she is now being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. There has also been some clarity on the condition ailing her. WION met with Gohela's family at AIIMS on Sunday. Smiling and happy to receive visitors in her hospital room, Gohela said, “I feel better now. Before getting admitted here I was in a lot of pain. Past one year I have had malaria and typhoid several times -- which led to constant pain in the joints. Doctors say that I have gangrene which has affected my hands and legs. Doctors have removed the affected areas -- three toes -- on my right foot.” According to the doctors at AIIMS, “Gohela is suffering from a condition in which blood supply to some parts of her body suddenly stops. It results in parts of her body drying up -- leading to severe pain. She is suffering from gangrene that has affected fingers of both hands and legs.” Gohela has not been able to walk for months now because of the gangrene. Doctors have surgically removed three toes of her right foot and are now debating whether they should also amputate the affected fingers on her right hand since she is unable to use it. Despite the prognosis, Gohela's family looks more relieved than ever. Her parents are back home in Assam taking care of Gohela’s other siblings but Gohela's younger sister Dane and her fiance Sansuma Basumataray are at AIIMS looking after her. “I am very happy now as didi (elder sister) is getting proper treatment. Didi has been admitted for 10 days now and she has shown improvement. We paid for medicines for first three days only, after which the sports ministry intervened and arranged for our medicines to be free of cost,” said Dane. Gohela comes from a small village called New Amguri in Kokrajhar in Assam. Owing to “no good hospitals, comparable to AIIMS or Apollo in Assam”, said Dane, Gohela was treated at a hospital in Guwahati last year when her health deteriorated. “We tried to stay strong. People from Bodoland and an MLA from Assam gave us some money during the initial phase. When we got Rs 1,50,000, we took her to a hospital in Guwahati but when she got sick again in January this year, we couldn’t take her to a hospital,” said Dane. “Doctors at the Guwahati hospital advised Gohela to be taken to AIIMS in Delhi or Apollo in Chennai for intensive care and treatment” but the family of ten did not have the money for it, until now. The family never lost hope though. Said Sansuma, “After January, when we had exhausted all our funds, I even thought of selling my land to fund her medical treatment. But it didn’t go through. We then took another route and with the help of Assam government sport bodies, we wrote letters of help. It attracted media attention. “Discovery Club, an NGO, also helped us in this struggle. Media has contributed a lot in making people notice Gohela and empathise with her story. Today, sports ministry is funding her entire treatment.” Sansuma met Gohela in 2006 while they were in school. They exchanged rings in February 2015 with the promise to marry in three years. “Only two years are left now, I can’t wait to get married to Gohela. I left my studies because I wanted to take care of her. I just hope to see her stand on her feet again and play,” he added. Gohela dreams of resuming her archery. “Doctors are saying that I will be fine but it will take time. I can't walk at the moment but I hope I will be able to. I want to train like before and practise archery again but I'm scared. I'll try, I know it will be difficult," she said. Doctors at AIIMS have asked for a “couple of days to get clarity on Gohela’s condition”. Her family meanwhile, while grateful for the support from the ministry, is also skeptical about future. “We don't know who will provide for Gohela once she is discharged from here and what if the illness comes back once we return to Assam?” asks Dane. (WION)

WION Impact: Govt begins to fund national-level archer Gohela Boro's medical treatment

Anandibai Joshi

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Anandibai Joshi (Wikimedia Commons) (Others)
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&nbsp;

The first female physician in the country to practice western medicine, she was motivated to become a doctor when her new-born baby died soon after birth.

Anna Mani

&nbsp;

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Anna Mani (Others)
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&nbsp;

A student of renowned scientist CV Raman, she earned global fame for her work on meteorological&nbsp;instrumentation.

Janaki Ammal

&nbsp;

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Janaki Ammal (Wikimedia Commons) (Others)
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&nbsp;

The Indian botanist conducted scientific research in phytogeography and cytogenetics. The Padma Shree awardee is most known for her research on sugarcane and the eggplant.

Asima Chatterjee

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Asima Chatterjee (Image Courtsey: Indian Academy of Sciences) (Others)
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&nbsp;

She is most known for her research in phytomedicine and organic chemistry to develop cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. Being the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university, she broke stereotypes and inspired many.

Charusita Chakravarty

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Charusita Chakravarty (Image Courtsey: IIT Delhi, Official Website) (Others)
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&nbsp;

Charusita Chakravarty was a professor of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. She was honoured with several awards for her work, most notably, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize.

Tessy Thomas

&nbsp;

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Terry Thomas (Youtube) (Others)
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Known as the &#39;Missile Woman&#39; of India, Tessy is the first female engineer to head a missile project in the country. Thomas is an engineer and the Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Rajeshwari Chatterjee

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Rajeshwari Chatterjee (@nirbhaavuka) (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

The first woman engineer from Karnataka, she was given a scholarship by the government of Delhi to study abroad She studied at the University of Michigan where she obtained her Master&rsquo;s degree in electrical engineering. She returned to India to join the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc where she set up a microwave research laboratory. Her research on Microwave Engineering in greatly acknowledged.

 
Aditi Pant

The oceanographer was a part of the Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983. She became the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica.

Kalpana Chawla

&nbsp;

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Kalpana Chawla (NASA, Public Domain by WikiMedia Commons) (Others)
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&nbsp;

The first Indian woman in space flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In the unfortunate disaster of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed.

 
Sudha Bhattacharya

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Sudha Bhattacharya (Image Courtsey: Jawaharlal Nehru University, Official Website) (Others)
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&nbsp;

An&nbsp;academic, scientist and&nbsp;writer, she is recognised for her in-depth study of Entamoeba histolytica, an amoebiasis causing parasitic protozoan. Her laboratory was the first to detect&nbsp;Ribosomal RNA genes on Circular DNA.

Indira Nath

The immunologist is known for her research&nbsp;on the cellular immune responses in human leprosy. She has over 120 publications, reviews, opinions on recent developments in international journals. Her pioneering work is a remarkable step towards the development of vaccines for leprosy.

Shubha Tole

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Shubha Tole (Image Courtsey: Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research) (Others)
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&nbsp;

The neurologist is most known for&nbsp;discovering a gene that is crucial to the proper formation of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex of the brain.&nbsp;She has won many accolades for her work, the Infosys Prize in the Life Sciences category being the most noteworthy.

Qamar Rahman

The scientist studied the physiological effects of nanoparticles. She is&nbsp;internationally acclaimed for her research on asbestosis, effects of slate dust and particulate pollution and methods for improving occupational health

(WION)

&nbsp;

On National Science Day, we celebrate women who have made great contributions in the field of science and paved paths for others

Anandibai Joshi Anandibai Joshi (Wikimedia Commons) (Others) × The first female physician in the country to practice western medicine, she was motivated to become a doctor when her new-born baby died soon after birth. Anna Mani Anna Mani (Others) × A student of renowned scientist CV Raman, she earned global fame for her work on meteorological instrumentation. Janaki Ammal Janaki Ammal (Wikimedia Commons) (Others) × The Indian botanist conducted scientific research in phytogeography and cytogenetics. The Padma Shree awardee is most known for her research on sugarcane and the eggplant. Asima Chatterjee Asima Chatterjee (Image Courtsey: Indian Academy of Sciences) (Others) × She is most known for her research in phytomedicine and organic chemistry to develop cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. Being the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university, she broke stereotypes and inspired many. Charusita Chakravarty Charusita Chakravarty (Image Courtsey: IIT Delhi, Official Website) (Others) × Charusita Chakravarty was a professor of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. She was honoured with several awards for her work, most notably, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. Tessy Thomas Terry Thomas (Youtube) (Others) × Known as the 'Missile Woman' of India, Tessy is the first female engineer to head a missile project in the country. Thomas is an engineer and the Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation. Rajeshwari Chatterjee Rajeshwari Chatterjee (@nirbhaavuka) (Twitter) × The first woman engineer from Karnataka, she was given a scholarship by the government of Delhi to study abroad She studied at the University of Michigan where she obtained her Master’s degree in electrical engineering. She returned to India to join the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc where she set up a microwave research laboratory. Her research on Microwave Engineering in greatly acknowledged. Aditi Pant The oceanographer was a part of the Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983. She became the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica. Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla (NASA, Public Domain by WikiMedia Commons) (Others) × The first Indian woman in space flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In the unfortunate disaster of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed. Sudha Bhattacharya Sudha Bhattacharya (Image Courtsey: Jawaharlal Nehru University, Official Website) (Others) × An academic, scientist and writer, she is recognised for her in-depth study of Entamoeba histolytica, an amoebiasis causing parasitic protozoan. Her laboratory was the first to detect Ribosomal RNA genes on Circular DNA. Indira Nath The immunologist is known for her research on the cellular immune responses in human leprosy. She has over 120 publications, reviews, opinions on recent developments in international journals. Her pioneering work is a remarkable step towards the development of vaccines for leprosy. Shubha Tole Shubha Tole (Image Courtsey: Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research) (Others) × The neurologist is most known for discovering a gene that is crucial to the proper formation of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex of the brain. She has won many accolades for her work, the Infosys Prize in the Life Sciences category being the most noteworthy. Qamar Rahman The scientist studied the physiological effects of nanoparticles. She is internationally acclaimed for her research on asbestosis, effects of slate dust and particulate pollution and methods for improving occupational health (WION)

Inspirational women scientists who made India proud

India is expected to continue&nbsp;its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan on the issue of terrorism originating from there when it hosts the leaders&nbsp;of&nbsp;BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries&nbsp;this Sunday in the western state of Goa.

Even preceding the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to raise these issues with Russia&#39;s Putin and China&#39;s Xi on Saturday, when a series of bilateral meetings are slated at the seaside venue.&nbsp;But across the summit table at a resort hotel, Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to have much interest in casting Beijing&#39;s alliance with Pakistan into doubt.

With the Summits taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike by Pak-based terrorists, India will be forceful in its demand at BRICS Summit, which will also have a Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation&nbsp;(BIMSTEC) outreach meet, for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism, including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.

India has made strong references both at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)&nbsp;as well as the G-20 regarding Pakistan&#39;s continued support to cross-border terrorism.

&quot;We will be looking at the global economic and political situation, and obviously terrorism is a very important part of that,&quot; Amar Sinha, the Indian foreign ministry official responsible for the BRICS file, told a pre-summit briefing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming Pakistan at G-20, had said that &quot;one single nation in South Asia&quot; is spreading &quot;agents of terror&quot; in the region and it must be isolated. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the UNGA had said confessions of captured terrorists involved in terror strikes in India including in Uri &quot;is a living proof of Pakistan&#39;s complicity in cross-border terror&quot;.

New Delhi will also make all out efforts to revive&nbsp;BIMSTEC&nbsp;when the&nbsp;Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.

This also assumes significance given the collapse of recent South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation&nbsp;(SAARC) Summit after four countries apart from India pulled out of the meet to be hosted by Pakistan over the issue of cross-border terrorism, maintaining that environment was not conducive to hold such an event.

Indian officials have made it clear that India&#39;s effort would be to have strong language in the BRICS outcome document on terrorism including how to deal with countries that provide sanctuaries, safe havens and finances.&nbsp;

The final summit declaration is expected to repeat earlier condemnations of &quot;terrorism in all its forms&quot;, say diplomats and analysts, but avoid levelling blame over tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

&nbsp;

Not Just a &#39;Jolly Partner&#39;

Where Modi and Xi may see eye to eye, at least privately, is in a shared desire for Islamabad to restrain Islamist militants who, in Beijing&#39;s view, pose a threat to China&#39;s plans to build a $46 billion trade corridor that runs through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.

&quot;Contrary to the public messaging in Islamabad, China is not the perpetual jolly partner when it comes to its relations with Pakistan,&quot; said Michael Kugelman, a senior program associate at the Wilson Center in Washington who focuses on South Asia.&nbsp;&quot;With China&#39;s investments and economic assets growing in Pakistan, it&#39;s only natural that it would worry. All militants, whether &#39;good&#39; or &#39;bad&#39; as characterised by Pakistan, threaten stability and by extension China&#39;s economic interests.&quot;

In addition to launching what it described as cross-border &quot;surgical strikes&quot; against suspected militants in Pakistan, in response to a September&nbsp;18 attack on an army base that killed 19 Indian soldiers, New Delhi has mounted a diplomatic offensive to isolate Islamabad.

Pakistan has denied any part in the attack on the Uri army base, near the de facto border that runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir. It also denies any &quot;surgical strikes&quot; took place, saying there was only border firing that is relatively common along the frontier.

Islamabad says India has exploited the incident to divert attention from its own security crackdown on protests sparked by the killing of a popular separatist militant leader.

More than 80 civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in India&#39;s part of Kashmir, and a widespread curfew has been imposed.

&nbsp;

Expressions of Support

After the Uri attack, India quickly won expressions of support from the West and from Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin will also hold a bilateral summit with Modi in Goa.&nbsp;China, for its part, has shown public restraint.&nbsp;Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said that China and Pakistan were paying close attention to security threats to the trade corridor.

&quot;If Pakistan&#39;s security situation does not improve, it will obstruct some of these projects,&nbsp;especially infrastructure ones,&quot; said Zhao. &quot;In this sense, cooperation on counter-terrorism is very close.&quot;

India has already engineered the collapse of a South Asian regional summit to have been hosted by Pakistan, and the Goa gathering will also feature an outreach session to countries from the Bay of Bengal region that could emerge as an alternative focus of regional cooperation.

&nbsp;

Working Groups

BRICS leaders will support plans agreed to by their national security advisers to create three working groups to cooperate on cyber security, counter-terrorism and energy security, said Sinha, the Indian foreign ministry official.

But diplomats and analysts say that India&#39;s long-held ambition of joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a club of nuclear-trading nations, is unlikely to progress at Goa with China yet to soften its blocking stance.

And, despite concerns about militancy within Pakistan, China has rebuffed India&#39;s calls for the United Nations to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group that India blames for recent cross-border attacks, as a terrorist.

China recently extended a so-called &quot;hold&quot; on the designation by a further three months.

That reflects an evolving rivalry between the world&#39;s two most populous nations in which, under Modi, India is seeking to close huge economic and military gaps and is shifting away from traditional non-alignment and seeking a closer partnership with the United States.

At the same time, China is expanding its economic and strategic reach into the Indian Ocean region, with Xi visiting Bangladesh on Friday en route to Goa, where he is expected to sign loans worth $24 billion.

&quot;Overall, it will be an awkward summit,&quot; said Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

He added that, for India, &quot;diplomatic isolation of Pakistan will be the most important objective.&quot;

(Agencies)

We will be looking at the global economic and political situation and obviously terrorism is a very important part of that: Indian official

India is expected to continue its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan on the issue of terrorism originating from there when it hosts the leaders of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries this Sunday in the western state of Goa. Even preceding the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to raise these issues with Russia's Putin and China's Xi on Saturday, when a series of bilateral meetings are slated at the seaside venue. But across the summit table at a resort hotel, Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to have much interest in casting Beijing's alliance with Pakistan into doubt. With the Summits taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike by Pak-based terrorists, India will be forceful in its demand at BRICS Summit, which will also have a Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) outreach meet, for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism, including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them. India has made strong references both at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as well as the G-20 regarding Pakistan's continued support to cross-border terrorism. "We will be looking at the global economic and political situation, and obviously terrorism is a very important part of that," Amar Sinha, the Indian foreign ministry official responsible for the BRICS file, told a pre-summit briefing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming Pakistan at G-20, had said that "one single nation in South Asia" is spreading "agents of terror" in the region and it must be isolated. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the UNGA had said confessions of captured terrorists involved in terror strikes in India including in Uri "is a living proof of Pakistan's complicity in cross-border terror". New Delhi will also make all out efforts to revive BIMSTEC when the Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet. This also assumes significance given the collapse of recent South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit after four countries apart from India pulled out of the meet to be hosted by Pakistan over the issue of cross-border terrorism, maintaining that environment was not conducive to hold such an event. Indian officials have made it clear that India's effort would be to have strong language in the BRICS outcome document on terrorism including how to deal with countries that provide sanctuaries, safe havens and finances. The final summit declaration is expected to repeat earlier condemnations of "terrorism in all its forms", say diplomats and analysts, but avoid levelling blame over tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals. Not Just a 'Jolly Partner' Where Modi and Xi may see eye to eye, at least privately, is in a shared desire for Islamabad to restrain Islamist militants who, in Beijing's view, pose a threat to China's plans to build a $46 billion trade corridor that runs through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. "Contrary to the public messaging in Islamabad, China is not the perpetual jolly partner when it comes to its relations with Pakistan," said Michael Kugelman, a senior program associate at the Wilson Center in Washington who focuses on South Asia. "With China's investments and economic assets growing in Pakistan, it's only natural that it would worry. All militants, whether 'good' or 'bad' as characterised by Pakistan, threaten stability and by extension China's economic interests." In addition to launching what it described as cross-border "surgical strikes" against suspected militants in Pakistan, in response to a September 18 attack on an army base that killed 19 Indian soldiers, New Delhi has mounted a diplomatic offensive to isolate Islamabad. Pakistan has denied any part in the attack on the Uri army base, near the de facto border that runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir. It also denies any "surgical strikes" took place, saying there was only border firing that is relatively common along the frontier. Islamabad says India has exploited the incident to divert attention from its own security crackdown on protests sparked by the killing of a popular separatist militant leader. More than 80 civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in India's part of Kashmir, and a widespread curfew has been imposed. Expressions of Support After the Uri attack, India quickly won expressions of support from the West and from Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin will also hold a bilateral summit with Modi in Goa. China, for its part, has shown public restraint. Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said that China and Pakistan were paying close attention to security threats to the trade corridor. "If Pakistan's security situation does not improve, it will obstruct some of these projects, especially infrastructure ones," said Zhao. "In this sense, cooperation on counter-terrorism is very close." India has already engineered the collapse of a South Asian regional summit to have been hosted by Pakistan, and the Goa gathering will also feature an outreach session to countries from the Bay of Bengal region that could emerge as an alternative focus of regional cooperation. Working Groups BRICS leaders will support plans agreed to by their national security advisers to create three working groups to cooperate on cyber security, counter-terrorism and energy security, said Sinha, the Indian foreign ministry official. But diplomats and analysts say that India's long-held ambition of joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a club of nuclear-trading nations, is unlikely to progress at Goa with China yet to soften its blocking stance. And, despite concerns about militancy within Pakistan, China has rebuffed India's calls for the United Nations to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group that India blames for recent cross-border attacks, as a terrorist. China recently extended a so-called "hold" on the designation by a further three months. That reflects an evolving rivalry between the world's two most populous nations in which, under Modi, India is seeking to close huge economic and military gaps and is shifting away from traditional non-alignment and seeking a closer partnership with the United States. At the same time, China is expanding its economic and strategic reach into the Indian Ocean region, with Xi visiting Bangladesh on Friday en route to Goa, where he is expected to sign loans worth $24 billion. "Overall, it will be an awkward summit," said Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He added that, for India, "diplomatic isolation of Pakistan will be the most important objective." (Agencies)

South Asian tensions seen dominating BRICS summit in India

We, all who love Kashmir, have to work towards its economic revival

Kashmir: The need to start a peace process

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand made the cut for the women&#39;s 100m at the Rio Olympics today, less than a year after she was cleared to race following the Court of Arbitration for Sport&#39;s (CAS) ruling on gender testing guidelines. 
 
The Lausanne-based court suspended the governing International Association of Athletics Federations&#39; (IAAF) regulations regarding hyperandrogenism, a condition which produces high testosterone levels, for two years. 
 
It cleared the way for Chand to compete again in both domestic and international events after she was forced to sit out about a year of competition. 
 
She clocked a national record 11.30 seconds in the 100m heats at the G. Kosanov Memorial Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to qualify for the Rio Games, the qualifying mark for which was set at 11.32. 
 
&quot;I am really happy at the moment,&quot; she said in a statement. &quot;It has been a tough year for me and I am so happy that my coach ... and my hard work has paid off.&nbsp;I would like to thank all the people in India who were praying for me to qualify. Your wishes have paid off.&quot; 
 
The daughter of weavers from Odisha, Chand was dropped from India&#39;s contingent for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Incheon after her naturally-occurring testosterone levels were found to be in breach of IAAF&#39;s guidelines. 
 
She was advised to have surgery and take medication, but instead decided to challenge the guidelines at CAS, who asked the IAAF to present scientific evidence proving enhanced testosterone levels improved performance in hyperandrogenic athletes. 
 
South Africa&#39;s former world champion 800m runner Caster Semenya was also subjected to gender testing by the IAAF before being cleared to compete as a woman. 
 
The Rio Olympics take place from August 5-21. 
 
(Reuters)

Chand was dropped from Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Asian Games after her high testosterone levels were found

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand made the cut for the women's 100m at the Rio Olympics today, less than a year after she was cleared to race following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) ruling on gender testing guidelines. The Lausanne-based court suspended the governing International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) regulations regarding hyperandrogenism, a condition which produces high testosterone levels, for two years. It cleared the way for Chand to compete again in both domestic and international events after she was forced to sit out about a year of competition. She clocked a national record 11.30 seconds in the 100m heats at the G. Kosanov Memorial Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to qualify for the Rio Games, the qualifying mark for which was set at 11.32. "I am really happy at the moment," she said in a statement. "It has been a tough year for me and I am so happy that my coach ... and my hard work has paid off. I would like to thank all the people in India who were praying for me to qualify. Your wishes have paid off." The daughter of weavers from Odisha, Chand was dropped from India's contingent for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Incheon after her naturally-occurring testosterone levels were found to be in breach of IAAF's guidelines. She was advised to have surgery and take medication, but instead decided to challenge the guidelines at CAS, who asked the IAAF to present scientific evidence proving enhanced testosterone levels improved performance in hyperandrogenic athletes. South Africa's former world champion 800m runner Caster Semenya was also subjected to gender testing by the IAAF before being cleared to compete as a woman. The Rio Olympics take place from August 5-21. (Reuters)

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand qualifies for Rio Olympics following ruling on gender testing

In a sensational turn of events, Narsingh Yadav was today cleared to compete in the Rio Olympics after being exonerated of doping charges by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which ruled that the wrestler was a victim of &quot;sabotage&quot; and deserved the benefit of doubt. 
 
Ending the suspense of the last few days, NADA director general Naveen Agarwal read out a statement clearing Narsingh, leading to wild celebrations among his supporters. 
 
&quot;We kept in mind that in the past, till June 2, none of his samples were positive. It was inconceivable that one-time ingestion would be of benefit. Therefore the panel is of the view that the one-time ingestion was not intentional,&quot; Agarwal said while reading out the verdict. 
 
&quot;The panel concludes that the athlete deserves the benefit of article 10.4 of the NADA&#39;s anti-doping code. Keeping in view that he was victim of a sabotage, the panel exonerates the athlete from charges of anti-doping rules of NADA,&quot; he added 
 
Narsingh, who had been replaced by Parveen Rana in the Rio-bound squad, was present at the NADA headquarters when the decision was taken today.&nbsp;But the Wrestling Federation of India today said Narsingh would now be brought back into the squad. 
 
The NADA reached the conclusion after three days of marathon hearings last week during which Narsingh&#39;s lawyers argued that the wrestler had been sabotaged by rivals.&nbsp;Narsingh had even filed a police complaint, naming two fellow wrestlers, one of whom is a 17-year-old. 
 
Narsingh had returned positive for methandienone, a banned anabolic steroid, following which he cried foul, claiming that the entire episode was a conspiracy against him. 
 
NADA&#39;s legal team had also given its arguments against the sabotage theory before the disciplinary committee, stating that the responsibility of keeping his system dope free lay with Narsingh. 
 
The panel had summoned two cooks on the request of Narsingh&#39;s lawyer Vidushpat Singhania on Saturday to verify the theory of his food being contaminated. 
 
Earlier, the argument put forth by NADA was that Narsingh was not eligible for remission, which he had been asking for because he failed to establish that he did not commit any fault or negligence. 
 
(PTI)

Narsingh tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid but India's anti-doping agency exonerated him, believing his claim he was sabotaged

In a sensational turn of events, Narsingh Yadav was today cleared to compete in the Rio Olympics after being exonerated of doping charges by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which ruled that the wrestler was a victim of "sabotage" and deserved the benefit of doubt. Ending the suspense of the last few days, NADA director general Naveen Agarwal read out a statement clearing Narsingh, leading to wild celebrations among his supporters. "We kept in mind that in the past, till June 2, none of his samples were positive. It was inconceivable that one-time ingestion would be of benefit. Therefore the panel is of the view that the one-time ingestion was not intentional," Agarwal said while reading out the verdict. "The panel concludes that the athlete deserves the benefit of article 10.4 of the NADA's anti-doping code. Keeping in view that he was victim of a sabotage, the panel exonerates the athlete from charges of anti-doping rules of NADA," he added Narsingh, who had been replaced by Parveen Rana in the Rio-bound squad, was present at the NADA headquarters when the decision was taken today. But the Wrestling Federation of India today said Narsingh would now be brought back into the squad. The NADA reached the conclusion after three days of marathon hearings last week during which Narsingh's lawyers argued that the wrestler had been sabotaged by rivals. Narsingh had even filed a police complaint, naming two fellow wrestlers, one of whom is a 17-year-old. Narsingh had returned positive for methandienone, a banned anabolic steroid, following which he cried foul, claiming that the entire episode was a conspiracy against him. NADA's legal team had also given its arguments against the sabotage theory before the disciplinary committee, stating that the responsibility of keeping his system dope free lay with Narsingh. The panel had summoned two cooks on the request of Narsingh's lawyer Vidushpat Singhania on Saturday to verify the theory of his food being contaminated. Earlier, the argument put forth by NADA was that Narsingh was not eligible for remission, which he had been asking for because he failed to establish that he did not commit any fault or negligence. (PTI)

Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav gets clearance to participate at Rio Olympics

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, one of the country&#39;s strongest medal hope, kicked off her campaign at the Rio Olympics on a winning note as she brushed aside Brazil&#39;s Lohaynny Vicente in straight games in the opening match of the women&#39;s singles event on Wednesday. 
 
Saina, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over her Brazilian compatriot in the one-sided contest that lasted for 39 minutes at Riocentro- Pavilion. 
 
The 26-year-old will play her next Group G match against Ukraine&#39;s&nbsp;Ulitina Maria. 
 
Earlier today, PV Sindhu, the other shuttler in fray, also made a great start to her badminton campaign by thrashing Hungary&#39;s Laura Sarosi 21-8, 21-9 in her opening round. 
 
Meanwhile, the Indian women&#39;s double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had lost 15-21, 10-21 to top-ranked Japanese pair of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsumoto in a match which lasted 36 minutes in their Group A opener. 
 
In the men&#39;s doubles competition, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also suffered a 18-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of World Number 2 Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their first match. 
 
(ANI) 
&nbsp;

Saina produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, one of the country's strongest medal hope, kicked off her campaign at the Rio Olympics on a winning note as she brushed aside Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente in straight games in the opening match of the women's singles event on Wednesday. Saina, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over her Brazilian compatriot in the one-sided contest that lasted for 39 minutes at Riocentro- Pavilion. The 26-year-old will play her next Group G match against Ukraine's Ulitina Maria. Earlier today, PV Sindhu, the other shuttler in fray, also made a great start to her badminton campaign by thrashing Hungary's Laura Sarosi 21-8, 21-9 in her opening round. Meanwhile, the Indian women's double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had lost 15-21, 10-21 to top-ranked Japanese pair of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsumoto in a match which lasted 36 minutes in their Group A opener. In the men's doubles competition, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also suffered a 18-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of World Number 2 Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their first match. (ANI)

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal gets off to winning start in Rio Olympics

Saudi Arabia has promised &quot;urgent&quot; action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. 
 
Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers &quot;to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies,&quot; the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani&#39;s orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. 
 
The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss&#39;s consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. 
 
Alyan&#39;s announcement comes as India&#39;s minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. 
 
Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. 
 
Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as &quot;rumours&quot; that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the &quot;immediate and urgent action&quot; was to resolve the issues of &quot;2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries&quot; and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. 
 
Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. 
 
Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon&#39;s billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. 
 
(AFP)

But Alyan ignored thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" around 10,000 starving Indian workers

Saudi Arabia has promised "urgent" action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers "to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies," the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani's orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss's consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. Alyan's announcement comes as India's minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the "immediate and urgent action" was to resolve the issues of "2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries" and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon's billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. (AFP)

Saudi vows 'urgent' action for stranded Indian workers

Indian manufacturers of finished steel goods are urging New Delhi to end tariffs on cheap imports of the alloy from China, Japan and South Korea, worried the protectionist measures may cost them billions in lost overseas sales.&nbsp; 
 
India put the tariffs in place in February to ensure a minimum import price (MIP) for 173 steel products, mainly to guard against cheap Chinese exports of around 10 million tonnes a month of items such as hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel that have undercut US European and Asian producers.&nbsp; 
 
The gambit to protect India&#39;s domestic steelmakers is threatening export revenues earned by engineering and manufacturing companies as artificially high prices for a primary raw material for everything from home appliances to ships make their products uncompetitive in foreign markets.&nbsp; 
 
The MIP policy has hit engineering firms especially hard. These mostly small- to mid-sized companies together export goods worth $56 billion a year, a fifth of India&#39;s shipped merchandise, made at least partly with steel now priced 15 per cent higher on average than at end-2015 and up to 30 per cent more than Chinese imports.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;My input cost is 40 per cent higher than other nations. How will my finished product compete?&quot; Pankaj Chaddha, CEO of Jyoti Steel Industries, said of the MIP tariffs.&nbsp; 
 
Jyoti Steel, a Mumbai manufacturer of stainless steel wire and carbon steel bright bars, cut 50 of its 300 jobs after MIP was introduced, and its output slumped by 22 per cent in the April-June quarter.&nbsp; 
 
Chaddha said he would have to lay off another 50 contract workers if the policy was extended past its August 5 expiry date. 
 
Also hanging over India&#39;s steel sector is a separate recommendation that the government enact anti-dumping duties on imports of hot-rolled steel products from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia. 
 
 
Cold-roll steel mills shut down 
 
Indian prices of hot-rolled steel, used to make pipes, rods, cars, ships and industrial machinery, rose by more than 15 per cent to 37,000 rupees ($554) a tonne between December and early May, according to the latest data available. 
 
Chinese prices moved from $270 a tonne in December to $420 a tonne in April, before softening again.&nbsp; 
 
Trade body EEPC India said engineering goods exports would drop 10 per cent this year if MIP is extended. The group has gone before the trade ministry several times to ask that the import policy be allowed to lapse, and members have also met with the steel ministry on the issue.&nbsp; 
 
India&#39;s indebted steel sector, though, struggling with low profit amid a global supply glut, has lobbied hard for it to be kept in place.&nbsp;By making foreign steel too expensive, domestic steelmakers such as Steel Authority of India, Tata Steel and JSW Steel have been able to raise prices.&nbsp; 
 
But higher prices, besides hampering exporters, have pushed steel processing firms such as Adhunik Metaliks, Jayaswal Neco and Sujana Metal Products into losses.&nbsp; 
 
About 20 of 60 mills on his membership list have shut, said SC Mathur, executive director of Cold Rolled Steel Manufacturers Association of India. 
 
&quot;Others are operating at 40-50 per cent of capacity and incurring losses.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
 
Not just India vs China 
 
China, the world&#39;s largest steel manufacturer and consumer, produced 804 million tonnes last year, about half of global supply, using just 70 per cent of its capacity.&nbsp; 
 
India, along with the United States, Europe and others, has said that even as Beijing works to downsize its overblown sector, Chinese mills are exporting their excess supply. 
 
India, the world&#39;s third-largest producer with an estimated output of 90 million tonnes, consumed about 80 million tonnes of finished steel in the year through March 2016.&nbsp;It imported about 11 million tonnes that year, according to the steel ministry&#39;s Joint Plant Committee (JPC), with China supplying around 47 per cent.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

A price policy to protect Indian markets from cheap imports are affecting cold-roll steel mills

Indian manufacturers of finished steel goods are urging New Delhi to end tariffs on cheap imports of the alloy from China, Japan and South Korea, worried the protectionist measures may cost them billions in lost overseas sales. India put the tariffs in place in February to ensure a minimum import price (MIP) for 173 steel products, mainly to guard against cheap Chinese exports of around 10 million tonnes a month of items such as hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel that have undercut US European and Asian producers. The gambit to protect India's domestic steelmakers is threatening export revenues earned by engineering and manufacturing companies as artificially high prices for a primary raw material for everything from home appliances to ships make their products uncompetitive in foreign markets. The MIP policy has hit engineering firms especially hard. These mostly small- to mid-sized companies together export goods worth $56 billion a year, a fifth of India's shipped merchandise, made at least partly with steel now priced 15 per cent higher on average than at end-2015 and up to 30 per cent more than Chinese imports. "My input cost is 40 per cent higher than other nations. How will my finished product compete?" Pankaj Chaddha, CEO of Jyoti Steel Industries, said of the MIP tariffs. Jyoti Steel, a Mumbai manufacturer of stainless steel wire and carbon steel bright bars, cut 50 of its 300 jobs after MIP was introduced, and its output slumped by 22 per cent in the April-June quarter. Chaddha said he would have to lay off another 50 contract workers if the policy was extended past its August 5 expiry date. Also hanging over India's steel sector is a separate recommendation that the government enact anti-dumping duties on imports of hot-rolled steel products from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia. Cold-roll steel mills shut down Indian prices of hot-rolled steel, used to make pipes, rods, cars, ships and industrial machinery, rose by more than 15 per cent to 37,000 rupees ($554) a tonne between December and early May, according to the latest data available. Chinese prices moved from $270 a tonne in December to $420 a tonne in April, before softening again. Trade body EEPC India said engineering goods exports would drop 10 per cent this year if MIP is extended. The group has gone before the trade ministry several times to ask that the import policy be allowed to lapse, and members have also met with the steel ministry on the issue. India's indebted steel sector, though, struggling with low profit amid a global supply glut, has lobbied hard for it to be kept in place. By making foreign steel too expensive, domestic steelmakers such as Steel Authority of India, Tata Steel and JSW Steel have been able to raise prices. But higher prices, besides hampering exporters, have pushed steel processing firms such as Adhunik Metaliks, Jayaswal Neco and Sujana Metal Products into losses. About 20 of 60 mills on his membership list have shut, said SC Mathur, executive director of Cold Rolled Steel Manufacturers Association of India. "Others are operating at 40-50 per cent of capacity and incurring losses." Not just India vs China China, the world's largest steel manufacturer and consumer, produced 804 million tonnes last year, about half of global supply, using just 70 per cent of its capacity. India, along with the United States, Europe and others, has said that even as Beijing works to downsize its overblown sector, Chinese mills are exporting their excess supply. India, the world's third-largest producer with an estimated output of 90 million tonnes, consumed about 80 million tonnes of finished steel in the year through March 2016. It imported about 11 million tonnes that year, according to the steel ministry's Joint Plant Committee (JPC), with China supplying around 47 per cent. (Reuters)

India's anti-China steel tariffs harm engineering, manufacturing firms

Mumbai is justifiably proud to celebrate the recent surge in the birth of girl child but the trend, unfortunately, is not consistent with rest of India. The 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) findings show that India&rsquo;s &ldquo;Tinseltown&rdquo;, along with five other Maharashtrian cities, has crossed the shining mark of 1000 girl child. Thus, the coveted quantitative equality between the male and female population has been reached there. However, a closer look at the NFHS report, beyond the narrow confines of city limits, reveals a different story. A story that is grim and more consistent with India&rsquo;s past record of low sex ratio for girls. 
 
The decrease is most stark when we consider the sex ratio of the total population, and not only data on children. Indian states of Maharashtra, Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, to name a few, show a decline in the number of recorded females. Optimists may point out that, except the states of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, all the above mentioned states exhibit a &ldquo;healthy&rdquo; sex-ratio of more than 950 females per 1000 men. But the most disconcerting aspect of the issue is that, instead of improving, or at least holding on to past achievements, these states are all sliding, as is evident when we compare the present with the situation a decade back. 
 
Contrary to popular assumption that female-male sex ratio is skewed more in rural India, it is in the urban milieu that we see a sinking number of females.This is equally true for the BIMARU states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, and not so obvious states of Assam and Karnataka. It is particularly disconcerting to see the Indian state of Assam in the list because the north-eastern parts of India have been traditionally known to have a favourable sex-ratio for girls. 
 
This declining rate of girl child and women in the national population have created an all-round anxiety. Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has coined the term &ldquo;missing women&rdquo; to underline how silently, imperceptibly, albeit dangerously, an increasing number of women are lost through sex-selective abortions, female infanticide, inadequate health care and undernutrition. The Indian census data of 2011 on male-female ratio vindicates Sen&rsquo;s theory. 
 
According to the 2011 Indian census report, there were 943 females for every 1000 males - a gap of 57 person. Instead of the ideal 1:1 ratio, this number implies that 5.70 per cent of India&rsquo;s 1.311 billion population is &ldquo;missing&rdquo;. This sums up to a staggering number of 37,363,500 missing women. 
 
While India&rsquo;s shining image of an economic superpower is projected worldwide, its female population by and large continue to suffer from various forms of discrimination, neglect and even violence. Perhaps, the most repulsive aspect of the whole story is that much of the violence against Indian women, which translates into a skewed sex ratio, largely stems from the intimate circle of family members. While the Indian state watch helplessly. 
 
(WION)

National survey shows demographic trends for females in India are worrying, but sometimes in subtle and imperceptible ways

Mumbai is justifiably proud to celebrate the recent surge in the birth of girl child but the trend, unfortunately, is not consistent with rest of India. The 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) findings show that India’s “Tinseltown”, along with five other Maharashtrian cities, has crossed the shining mark of 1000 girl child. Thus, the coveted quantitative equality between the male and female population has been reached there. However, a closer look at the NFHS report, beyond the narrow confines of city limits, reveals a different story. A story that is grim and more consistent with India’s past record of low sex ratio for girls. The decrease is most stark when we consider the sex ratio of the total population, and not only data on children. Indian states of Maharashtra, Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, to name a few, show a decline in the number of recorded females. Optimists may point out that, except the states of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, all the above mentioned states exhibit a “healthy” sex-ratio of more than 950 females per 1000 men. But the most disconcerting aspect of the issue is that, instead of improving, or at least holding on to past achievements, these states are all sliding, as is evident when we compare the present with the situation a decade back. Contrary to popular assumption that female-male sex ratio is skewed more in rural India, it is in the urban milieu that we see a sinking number of females.This is equally true for the BIMARU states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, and not so obvious states of Assam and Karnataka. It is particularly disconcerting to see the Indian state of Assam in the list because the north-eastern parts of India have been traditionally known to have a favourable sex-ratio for girls. This declining rate of girl child and women in the national population have created an all-round anxiety. Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has coined the term “missing women” to underline how silently, imperceptibly, albeit dangerously, an increasing number of women are lost through sex-selective abortions, female infanticide, inadequate health care and undernutrition. The Indian census data of 2011 on male-female ratio vindicates Sen’s theory. According to the 2011 Indian census report, there were 943 females for every 1000 males - a gap of 57 person. Instead of the ideal 1:1 ratio, this number implies that 5.70 per cent of India’s 1.311 billion population is “missing”. This sums up to a staggering number of 37,363,500 missing women. While India’s shining image of an economic superpower is projected worldwide, its female population by and large continue to suffer from various forms of discrimination, neglect and even violence. Perhaps, the most repulsive aspect of the whole story is that much of the violence against Indian women, which translates into a skewed sex ratio, largely stems from the intimate circle of family members. While the Indian state watch helplessly. (WION)

Study reveals Indian women still 'missing'

Sasikala Pushpa, member of parliament (MP) in the upper house, who reportedly slapped another MP Trichy Siva at national capital Delhi&#39;s airport on Saturday, was today expelled from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a state political party, by its supremo Jayalalithaa on a day when she claimed she faced threat to her life in India&#39;s southern state of Tamil Nadu. 
 
In a brief statement, Jayalalithaa said that Sasikala, a Rajya Sabha (upper house) MP, was being expelled from all party posts, including primary membership, as she had acted in violation of the party principles and ethics for &quot;bringing disrepute to the party&quot;. 
 
&quot;Her behaviour has brought great disrepute to the party,&quot; the Tamil Nadu chief minister said in Chennai, the state capital.&nbsp; 
 
She asked party supporters not to have any truck henceforth with the Thoothukudi-based MP. 
 
Sasikala finds support in opposition&nbsp; 
 
In the upper house, Sasikala alleged she was being forced to resign from the &#39;constitutional post&#39;. 
 
She first rushed into the &#39;Well of the House&#39; to get permission to make her statement and then broke down several times as she said she faced &quot;life threat&quot; from state government and alluded to her being slapped by a &quot;leader&quot;. 
 
She, however, did not make it clear who slapped her and when. 
 
Outside the upper house, Sasikala claimed her expulsion had no link with the airport incident involving Siva, also a Rajya Sabha MP, and that pressure was being put on her for the last two months to resign. 
 
&quot;They are harassing me.&quot; 
 
She replied in the affirmative when asked whether Jayalalithaa was behind this. 
 
Sasikala also claimed that she was warned of consequences if she does not resign. 
 
Raising the issue in the upper house, she said, &quot;If an MP is being slapped by a leader, where is human dignity?&quot; triggering strong protest from members of her own party. 
 
As she found support in opposition members who wanted the chair to allow her to make her full submission, A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK) walked into the well and out of it multiple times demanding that her remarks be expunged. 
 
&quot;I have life threat... I am being compelled to resign from my constitutional post,&quot; she said. &quot;Where is women&#39;s safety in this country? ... I am being harassed. I need protection. In Tamil Nadu, I don&#39;t have safety. There is threat to my life.&quot; 
 
Sasikala said she was thankful to her party leader for sending her to Rajya Sabha but &quot;if a leader can slap an MP, I need protection. I need government&#39;s protection.&quot; 
 
&quot;I want to serve the country (and not resign),&quot; she said. &quot;I am not here in Rajya Sabha for any benefit.&quot; 
 
Deputy chairman P J Kurien said the chairman was custodian of all members of the House and he will protect her too. 
 
He, however, asked her not to mention anyone&#39;s name who cannot come to the house to defend himself or herself. 
 
The aggrieved member can write to the chairman for necessary action, Kurien said. 
 
But the opposition benches broke into protest saying she should be allowed to make her full submission. Women members of Congress party moved to the aisles and vociferously raised the issue of her plight as a fellow member.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

Upper house MP Sasikala was sacked for 'bringing disrepute' to the state political party AIADMK after she alleged 'threat to life'

Sasikala Pushpa, member of parliament (MP) in the upper house, who reportedly slapped another MP Trichy Siva at national capital Delhi's airport on Saturday, was today expelled from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a state political party, by its supremo Jayalalithaa on a day when she claimed she faced threat to her life in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu. In a brief statement, Jayalalithaa said that Sasikala, a Rajya Sabha (upper house) MP, was being expelled from all party posts, including primary membership, as she had acted in violation of the party principles and ethics for "bringing disrepute to the party". "Her behaviour has brought great disrepute to the party," the Tamil Nadu chief minister said in Chennai, the state capital. She asked party supporters not to have any truck henceforth with the Thoothukudi-based MP. Sasikala finds support in opposition In the upper house, Sasikala alleged she was being forced to resign from the 'constitutional post'. She first rushed into the 'Well of the House' to get permission to make her statement and then broke down several times as she said she faced "life threat" from state government and alluded to her being slapped by a "leader". She, however, did not make it clear who slapped her and when. Outside the upper house, Sasikala claimed her expulsion had no link with the airport incident involving Siva, also a Rajya Sabha MP, and that pressure was being put on her for the last two months to resign. "They are harassing me." She replied in the affirmative when asked whether Jayalalithaa was behind this. Sasikala also claimed that she was warned of consequences if she does not resign. Raising the issue in the upper house, she said, "If an MP is being slapped by a leader, where is human dignity?" triggering strong protest from members of her own party. As she found support in opposition members who wanted the chair to allow her to make her full submission, A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK) walked into the well and out of it multiple times demanding that her remarks be expunged. "I have life threat... I am being compelled to resign from my constitutional post," she said. "Where is women's safety in this country? ... I am being harassed. I need protection. In Tamil Nadu, I don't have safety. There is threat to my life." Sasikala said she was thankful to her party leader for sending her to Rajya Sabha but "if a leader can slap an MP, I need protection. I need government's protection." "I want to serve the country (and not resign)," she said. "I am not here in Rajya Sabha for any benefit." Deputy chairman P J Kurien said the chairman was custodian of all members of the House and he will protect her too. He, however, asked her not to mention anyone's name who cannot come to the house to defend himself or herself. The aggrieved member can write to the chairman for necessary action, Kurien said. But the opposition benches broke into protest saying she should be allowed to make her full submission. Women members of Congress party moved to the aisles and vociferously raised the issue of her plight as a fellow member. (PTI)

Chief minister in India's Tamil Nadu expels former aide over 'anti-party activities'

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