British police today made a sixth arrest in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Indian- origin jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya, who was found dead in Leicester last week.

The 74-year-old had gone missing as he walked home from work and was forced into a vehicle by masked men.

&quot;The 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder and is currently in police custody where he will be questioned by detectives,&quot; Leicestershire Police said.

Two other men, aged 18 and 22, both of whom are from Leicester, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder on Monday and remain in police custody.

Three other Leicester men, aged 19, 20, and 23, were charged on Tuesday evening with kidnap and robbery of Jogiya.

They appeared before Leicester Magistrates&#39; Court today and were remanded to appear at Leicester Crown Court on February 28.

Jogiya, the father of three sons, was last seen on CCTV locking up and leaving the family&#39;s jewellery store Vama on Belgrave Road is known as the Golden Mile due to its row of jewellery shops, mostly run by Indian-origin merchants.

His family issued a statement through Leicestershire Police expressing their devastation at his death and paid tribute to a loved member of their &quot;close-knit family&quot;.

The statement said, &quot;Ramniklal was a loyal, gentleman who was passionate about his family.

&quot;He was a doting husband, father, granddad, brother and uncle, who loved nothing more than spending time with his family, whether it be sharing food, watching the cricket or catching up with favourite Asian TV serials with his wife&quot;.

The family also urged anyone with information about the attack to contact police so that people responsible for his death can be caught.

Jogiya&#39;s body was recovered from?Gaulby Lane?in Stoughton area of Leicester. A murder investigation was launched and initial enquiries had established that he had been pulled into a vehicle and taken against his will from Belgrave Road.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A murder investigation was launched and initial enquiries had established

British police today made a sixth arrest in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Indian- origin jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya, who was found dead in Leicester last week. The 74-year-old had gone missing as he walked home from work and was forced into a vehicle by masked men. "The 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder and is currently in police custody where he will be questioned by detectives," Leicestershire Police said. Two other men, aged 18 and 22, both of whom are from Leicester, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder on Monday and remain in police custody. Three other Leicester men, aged 19, 20, and 23, were charged on Tuesday evening with kidnap and robbery of Jogiya. They appeared before Leicester Magistrates' Court today and were remanded to appear at Leicester Crown Court on February 28. Jogiya, the father of three sons, was last seen on CCTV locking up and leaving the family's jewellery store Vama on Belgrave Road is known as the Golden Mile due to its row of jewellery shops, mostly run by Indian-origin merchants. His family issued a statement through Leicestershire Police expressing their devastation at his death and paid tribute to a loved member of their "close-knit family". The statement said, "Ramniklal was a loyal, gentleman who was passionate about his family. "He was a doting husband, father, granddad, brother and uncle, who loved nothing more than spending time with his family, whether it be sharing food, watching the cricket or catching up with favourite Asian TV serials with his wife". The family also urged anyone with information about the attack to contact police so that people responsible for his death can be caught. Jogiya's body was recovered from?Gaulby Lane?in Stoughton area of Leicester. A murder investigation was launched and initial enquiries had established that he had been pulled into a vehicle and taken against his will from Belgrave Road.

UK police arrest 6 men for murder of Indian-origin jeweller

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/state-of-the-union-address-us-president-donald-trump-bids-for-safe-strong-and-united-america-31271">State of the Union address: US President Donald Trump bids for &#39;safe, strong and united America&#39;</a>

Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-active-in-70-per-cent-of-afghanistan-bbc-study-finds-31274">Taliban active in 70 </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-active-in-70-per-cent-of-afghanistan-bbc-study-finds-31274">per cent</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-active-in-70-per-cent-of-afghanistan-bbc-study-finds-31274"> of Afghanistan, BBC study finds</a>

The BBC study said the Afghan government controlled 122 districts, or about 30 percent of the country. Still, it noted that did not mean that they were free from Taliban attacks.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-donald-trump-urges-us-parties-set-aside-differences-31272">President Donald Trump urges US parties set aside differences</a>

President Donald Trump gives his first official State of the Union Address from the United States Capitol in front of a joint session of Congress.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/im-not-a-quitter-says-uks-may-as-leadership-questions-stack-up-31270">I&#39;m not a quitter, says UK&#39;s May as leadership questions stack up</a>

May has come under fire in recent days from several factions within her own party.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/facebook-to-ban-cryptocurrency-related-ads-31275">Facebook to ban cryptocurrency-related ads</a>

The new policy will be implemented across its platforms, including Facebook, Audience Network, and Instagram, the company said.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

State of the Union address: US President Donald Trump bids for 'safe, strong and united America' Broadcast live across the country, the address serves as a platform for the President to directly communicate to the people of America. Taliban active in 70 per cent of Afghanistan, BBC study finds The BBC study said the Afghan government controlled 122 districts, or about 30 percent of the country. Still, it noted that did not mean that they were free from Taliban attacks. President Donald Trump urges US parties set aside differences President Donald Trump gives his first official State of the Union Address from the United States Capitol in front of a joint session of Congress. I'm not a quitter, says UK's May as leadership questions stack up May has come under fire in recent days from several factions within her own party. Facebook to ban cryptocurrency-related ads The new policy will be implemented across its platforms, including Facebook, Audience Network, and Instagram, the company said.

WION Morning News Brief, January 31, 2018

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday defied critics calling for her to resign, saying she was not a quitter and that she has a long-term job to do: delivering Brexit and domestic reform.

May has come under fire in recent days from several factions within her own party. She has been accused by eurosceptics of watering down Brexit, by pro-EU lawmakers of risking Britain`s economy, and by others who say her domestic agenda is too timid.

&quot;I&#39;ve said to you before, I`m not a quitter and there is a long-term job to be done,&quot; she told reporters on her way to China for a trade visit when asked about the recent criticism of her leadership and reports of a potential attempt to oust her.

&quot;That job is about getting the best Brexit deal, about ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders, that we can sign trade deals around the rest of the world. But it is also about our domestic agenda.&quot;

The leadership question dominated a briefing with journalists on board a Royal Air Force jet to China where she will meet President Xi Jinping, with an eye on securing better access to Chinese markets and an eventual free trade deal.

Media reports have said the number of `no confidence&#39;&nbsp;letters submitted by lawmakers from May&#39;s own party is nearing the threshold which would trigger a leadership contest. The committee which holds the letters does not comment on the actual number.

May&#39;s future as leader of the ruling Conservative Party has been subject to heightened speculation after she gambled on a snap election last year which went badly wrong and cost her party its majority in parliament.

During a similar trade-focused visit to Japan, last year May first used the &quot;I&#39;m not a quitter&quot; phrase, vowing to fight the next British election as leader in 2022.

Since then the pressure has been amplified by gaffes, scandals, and a growing concern among some that constant infighting over Brexit was drowning out attempts to win back the voters the party lost at the 2017 election.

Responding to one of more than 10 questions about her leadership during a 25-minute briefing, May defended her record by singling out housing, education and employment rates as areas where her government has made progress.

But, she acknowledged a need to make sure the messages are better heard by voters and her own party.

&quot;Are you asking me is there more for us to do, talk to people about, more generally about what we are achieving and what we are doing? ... Yes,&quot; she said.

&quot;There is always more for us to be able to do to talk to people about what we&#39;re achieving.&quot;

May has come under fire in recent days from several factions within her own party

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday defied critics calling for her to resign, saying she was not a quitter and that she has a long-term job to do: delivering Brexit and domestic reform. May has come under fire in recent days from several factions within her own party. She has been accused by eurosceptics of watering down Brexit, by pro-EU lawmakers of risking Britain`s economy, and by others who say her domestic agenda is too timid. "I've said to you before, I`m not a quitter and there is a long-term job to be done," she told reporters on her way to China for a trade visit when asked about the recent criticism of her leadership and reports of a potential attempt to oust her. "That job is about getting the best Brexit deal, about ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders, that we can sign trade deals around the rest of the world. But it is also about our domestic agenda." The leadership question dominated a briefing with journalists on board a Royal Air Force jet to China where she will meet President Xi Jinping, with an eye on securing better access to Chinese markets and an eventual free trade deal. Media reports have said the number of `no confidence' letters submitted by lawmakers from May's own party is nearing the threshold which would trigger a leadership contest. The committee which holds the letters does not comment on the actual number. May's future as leader of the ruling Conservative Party has been subject to heightened speculation after she gambled on a snap election last year which went badly wrong and cost her party its majority in parliament. During a similar trade-focused visit to Japan, last year May first used the "I'm not a quitter" phrase, vowing to fight the next British election as leader in 2022. Since then the pressure has been amplified by gaffes, scandals, and a growing concern among some that constant infighting over Brexit was drowning out attempts to win back the voters the party lost at the 2017 election. Responding to one of more than 10 questions about her leadership during a 25-minute briefing, May defended her record by singling out housing, education and employment rates as areas where her government has made progress. But, she acknowledged a need to make sure the messages are better heard by voters and her own party. "Are you asking me is there more for us to do, talk to people about, more generally about what we are achieving and what we are doing? ... Yes," she said. "There is always more for us to be able to do to talk to people about what we're achieving."

I'm not a quitter, says UK's May as leadership questions stack up

Ever since Prince Harry announced his<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/prince-harry-announces-his-engagement-to-actress-meghan-markle-25254" target="_blank"> engagement</a> and soon-to-happen <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-wedding-date-has-been-officially-announced-26857" target="_blank">wedding </a>with American actress <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/meet-meghan-markle-the-mix-race-actress-set-to-marry-britains-prince-harry-25266" target="_blank">Meghan Markle</a>, paparazzi have been following the royal couple, trying to find out new developments in their lives.&nbsp;

In the most recent update, Meghan Markle is expected to deliver her own speech at her royal wedding with Prince Harry. It would be a break from centuries-old royal tradition.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-meghan-markles-low-key-hen-party-30421">Meghan Markle&#39;s low key hen party</a>

It is understood that the actress will be speaking during their&nbsp;reception at Windsor Castle following the wedding ceremony on May 19. The function is expected to host around 800 guests.&nbsp;

73-year-old Thomas, Meghan Markle&#39;s father will be walking the former actress down the aisle&nbsp;but is less likely to make a speech at the reception.

Also Watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/london-zoo-names-new-arrival-after-prince-harrys-fiance-meghan-markle-7858" target="_blank">London Zoo names new arrival after Prince Harry&#39;s fiance Meghan Markle</a>

Markle is expected to be made a Duchess on the day.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/meghan-markle-deletes-all-social-media-accounts-ahead-of-marriage-to-prince-harry-29177">Meghan Markle deletes all social media accounts ahead of marriage to Prince Harry</a>

A popular London-based newspaper report says&nbsp;that she might even make a couple of jokes, and is said to have&nbsp;Prince Harry&rsquo;s full support.&nbsp;

Prince Harry is yet to announce his best man and his brother Prince William is widely tipped to be among his top choices.

&nbsp;

As per tradition, her 73-year-old father will walk her down the aisle

Ever since Prince Harry announced his engagement and soon-to-happen wedding with American actress Meghan Markle, paparazzi have been following the royal couple, trying to find out new developments in their lives. In the most recent update, Meghan Markle is expected to deliver her own speech at her royal wedding with Prince Harry. It would be a break from centuries-old royal tradition. Also Read: Meghan Markle's low key hen party It is understood that the actress will be speaking during their reception at Windsor Castle following the wedding ceremony on May 19. The function is expected to host around 800 guests. 73-year-old Thomas, Meghan Markle's father will be walking the former actress down the aisle but is less likely to make a speech at the reception. Also Watch: London Zoo names new arrival after Prince Harry's fiance Meghan Markle Markle is expected to be made a Duchess on the day. Also Read: Meghan Markle deletes all social media accounts ahead of marriage to Prince Harry A popular London-based newspaper report says that she might even make a couple of jokes, and is said to have Prince Harry’s full support. Prince Harry is yet to announce his best man and his brother Prince William is widely tipped to be among his top choices.

Meghan Markle to break centuries-old royal tradition by making her own speech

The EU adopted red lines Monday for a transition period that binds Britain by the bloc&#39;s laws for nearly two years after Brexit without having any policy-making power.

The plan has sparked deep divisions in British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s government, with eurosceptic lawmakers saying it leaves Britain a &quot;vassal state&quot; of Brussels.

European affairs ministers took just two minutes to green-light instructions for the EU&#39;s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on the transition, which the bloc wants to run from March 29, 2019 -- when Britain leaves the EU -- until December 31, 2020.

Barnier&#39;s deputy Sabine Weyand said a meeting of European affairs ministers in Brussels &quot;adopts guidelines for Brexit negotiations within two minutes: status quo transition without institutional representation, lasting... to 31 December 2020&quot;.

The so-called negotiating directives say Britain would retain access to the EU&#39;s single market during that time, but in return must follow EU rules &quot;as if it were a member state&quot;, without any voting rights.

Irish European affairs minister Helen McEntee meanwhile ruled out Britain having any power to vet EU laws passed during the transition, the Financial Times newspaper reported, saying London could not be allowed to undermine the single market.&nbsp;

&quot;When the UK leaves the European Union they will not be a voice around the table,&quot; she said.

Transition talks with Barnier&#39;s counterpart David Davis could begin as early as this week, with the aim of completing them by March so negotiations on future trade ties can start, European sources said.

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, whose country holds the EU&#39;s rotating presidency, meanwhile urged Britain to agree &quot;as soon as possible&quot; on the legal text of December&#39;s in-principle agreement on the terms of the divorce.

That deal paved the way for the EU and Britain to move on to discussing the transition.

Britain asked for a transition period of around two years to ease the impact of Brexit on people, public services and businesses, and to provide more time to conclude any eventual EU-UK trade pact.

But May&#39;s Downing Street office warned the talks could be tough.

&quot;This will be a negotiation and there will naturally be some distance in the detail of our starting positions,&quot; the prime minister&#39;s spokesman said.

With dangerous rifts emerging openly in May&#39;s government over the plan and eurosceptic MPs baying for blood, Davis and other top ministers tried to show a united front at the weekend.

Despite previous differences, Davis, finance minister Philip Hammond and business secretary Greg Clark wrote a joint letter saying the transition would be &quot;strictly time-limited&quot; and that Britain is still leaving the bloc.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg -- who leads a group of more than 50 Conservative Brexiteer MPs and made the &quot;vassal state&quot; comment -- warned that staying closely aligned to the EU risked reducing Brexit to a &quot;damage limitation exercise&quot;.

US President Donald Trump added to the pressure on May, saying in remarks aired Sunday that if he was in charge of the Brexit negotiations he would have &quot;negotiated it differently&quot; and taken a &quot;tougher stand&quot;.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meanwhile touted his country as a post-Brexit alternative, telling Japanese businesses on Monday they must realise that Britain&#39;s EU days are &quot;over&quot;.

Some member states have called for the transition itself to be extendable if the EU and Britain have still not managed to sort out a future relationship deal when it ends in 2020.

But France has led opposition to the idea, and the guidelines say the transition must be &quot;clearly defined and precisely limited in time&quot;.

Davis is meanwhile on a collision course with the EU over his claim last week that Britain could negotiate and even sign its own free trade deals around the world during the transition period.

EU officials insist Britain can negotiate but not conclude any deals.

The plan has sparked deep divisions in British Prime Minister Theresa May's government, with eurosceptic lawmakers saying it leaves Britain a 'vassal state' of Brussels

The EU adopted red lines Monday for a transition period that binds Britain by the bloc's laws for nearly two years after Brexit without having any policy-making power. The plan has sparked deep divisions in British Prime Minister Theresa May's government, with eurosceptic lawmakers saying it leaves Britain a "vassal state" of Brussels. European affairs ministers took just two minutes to green-light instructions for the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on the transition, which the bloc wants to run from March 29, 2019 -- when Britain leaves the EU -- until December 31, 2020. Barnier's deputy Sabine Weyand said a meeting of European affairs ministers in Brussels "adopts guidelines for Brexit negotiations within two minutes: status quo transition without institutional representation, lasting... to 31 December 2020". The so-called negotiating directives say Britain would retain access to the EU's single market during that time, but in return must follow EU rules "as if it were a member state", without any voting rights. Irish European affairs minister Helen McEntee meanwhile ruled out Britain having any power to vet EU laws passed during the transition, the Financial Times newspaper reported, saying London could not be allowed to undermine the single market. "When the UK leaves the European Union they will not be a voice around the table," she said. Transition talks with Barnier's counterpart David Davis could begin as early as this week, with the aim of completing them by March so negotiations on future trade ties can start, European sources said. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, meanwhile urged Britain to agree "as soon as possible" on the legal text of December's in-principle agreement on the terms of the divorce. That deal paved the way for the EU and Britain to move on to discussing the transition. Britain asked for a transition period of around two years to ease the impact of Brexit on people, public services and businesses, and to provide more time to conclude any eventual EU-UK trade pact. But May's Downing Street office warned the talks could be tough. "This will be a negotiation and there will naturally be some distance in the detail of our starting positions," the prime minister's spokesman said. With dangerous rifts emerging openly in May's government over the plan and eurosceptic MPs baying for blood, Davis and other top ministers tried to show a united front at the weekend. Despite previous differences, Davis, finance minister Philip Hammond and business secretary Greg Clark wrote a joint letter saying the transition would be "strictly time-limited" and that Britain is still leaving the bloc. But Jacob Rees-Mogg -- who leads a group of more than 50 Conservative Brexiteer MPs and made the "vassal state" comment -- warned that staying closely aligned to the EU risked reducing Brexit to a "damage limitation exercise". US President Donald Trump added to the pressure on May, saying in remarks aired Sunday that if he was in charge of the Brexit negotiations he would have "negotiated it differently" and taken a "tougher stand". French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meanwhile touted his country as a post-Brexit alternative, telling Japanese businesses on Monday they must realise that Britain's EU days are "over". Some member states have called for the transition itself to be extendable if the EU and Britain have still not managed to sort out a future relationship deal when it ends in 2020. But France has led opposition to the idea, and the guidelines say the transition must be "clearly defined and precisely limited in time". Davis is meanwhile on a collision course with the EU over his claim last week that Britain could negotiate and even sign its own free trade deals around the world during the transition period. EU officials insist Britain can negotiate but not conclude any deals.

UK Brexit: European Union sets 2020 redline

The Westminster magistrates&#39; court in London on Thursday decided to extend liquor baron Vijay Mallya&#39;s bail till April 2 in association with his extradition case.&nbsp;

The bail raised concerns over the reliability of evidence provided by India. Judge Emma Arbuthnot has extended Mallya&#39;s &pound;650,000 bail.&nbsp;

Mallya was accompanied by his wife Pinky Lalwani and his son Siddharth Mallya.&nbsp;

Questions were raised over Mallya&#39;s&nbsp;admissibility, reliability and evidentiary value of documents submitted by India, in particular, the statements submitted by a wide array of witnesses such as banking officials.

&quot;Many of the documents that the Indian government relies on are unsubstantiated assertions which have been proven to be unreliable or false while others are hearsay or narrative accounts or statements made ex-post facto&quot;, Mallya&#39;s defence counsel Clare Montgomery&nbsp;said.

It was also brought to notice that there were no supporting documents in relation to the IDBI Bank case, which is the main axis on which the extradition trial hinges.

&quot;Some of these statements not only had the same words by the same typos. For example, there are similar anomalies in witness statements made by different individuals weeks apart&quot;, Montgomery said, prompting laughter in the court, much to the discomfiture of representatives of the Indian government.

&quot;Much evidence suggests that officers, in this case, have not behaved in a reliable manner. For instance, they have completely failed to reveal to the court the background of how the lending was approved by various banks, have submitted misleading statements, pro-forma statements and statements that were false&quot;, Montgomery said.

She also pointed to a number of Indian law commission reports that have &quot;unanimously&quot; agreed that investigators often &quot;project&quot; their biases on to witnesses.&nbsp;

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, has been asked to revert to the court by January 22.&nbsp;

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-jails-over-crowded-with-poor-hygiene-mallyas-defence-26778">&nbsp;Indian jails overcrowded with poor hygiene: Mallya&#39;s defence lawyer</a>

The Delhi court on January 4 had declared beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya a proclaimed offender for evading summons in a FERA violation case.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Shehrawat passed the order after noting that Mallya <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/vijay-mallya-declared-proclaimed-offender-by-delhi-court-28547" target="_blank">failed to appear</a> before it despite repeated summons.

Mallya, who is undergoing an extradition trial over Rs 9,000-crore fraud and money laundering charges, will face a parallel litigation brought by 13 Indian banks to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/more-trouble-for-mallya-hearing-of-litigation-seeking-to-freeze-usd-15-billion-of-his-assets-next-year-26725" target="_blank">freeze nearly $1.5 billion of his assets</a>.

(With inputs from ANI)

The bail raised concerns over the reliability of evidence provided by India. Judge Emma Arbuthnot has extended Mallya's £650,000 bail

The Westminster magistrates' court in London on Thursday decided to extend liquor baron Vijay Mallya's bail till April 2 in association with his extradition case. The bail raised concerns over the reliability of evidence provided by India. Judge Emma Arbuthnot has extended Mallya's £650,000 bail. Mallya was accompanied by his wife Pinky Lalwani and his son Siddharth Mallya. Questions were raised over Mallya's admissibility, reliability and evidentiary value of documents submitted by India, in particular, the statements submitted by a wide array of witnesses such as banking officials. "Many of the documents that the Indian government relies on are unsubstantiated assertions which have been proven to be unreliable or false while others are hearsay or narrative accounts or statements made ex-post facto", Mallya's defence counsel Clare Montgomery said. It was also brought to notice that there were no supporting documents in relation to the IDBI Bank case, which is the main axis on which the extradition trial hinges. "Some of these statements not only had the same words by the same typos. For example, there are similar anomalies in witness statements made by different individuals weeks apart", Montgomery said, prompting laughter in the court, much to the discomfiture of representatives of the Indian government. "Much evidence suggests that officers, in this case, have not behaved in a reliable manner. For instance, they have completely failed to reveal to the court the background of how the lending was approved by various banks, have submitted misleading statements, pro-forma statements and statements that were false", Montgomery said. She also pointed to a number of Indian law commission reports that have "unanimously" agreed that investigators often "project" their biases on to witnesses. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, has been asked to revert to the court by January 22. Also read: Indian jails overcrowded with poor hygiene: Mallya's defence lawyer The Delhi court on January 4 had declared beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya a proclaimed offender for evading summons in a FERA violation case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Shehrawat passed the order after noting that Mallya failed to appear before it despite repeated summons. Mallya, who is undergoing an extradition trial over Rs 9,000-crore fraud and money laundering charges, will face a parallel litigation brought by 13 Indian banks to freeze nearly $1.5 billion of his assets. (With inputs from ANI)

Vijay Mallya's bail extended till April 2, concerns raised over reliability of evidence

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/as-iran-nuclear-deal-hangs-in-balance-president-macron-calls-trump-29279" target="_blank">As Iran nuclear deal hangs in balance, President Macron calls Trump</a>

As President Trump mulls over Iran nuclear deal, French President &nbsp;Macron said there should be &quot;strict application&quot; and &quot;importance of all signatories to respect it&quot;. Trump is expected to decide today on providing relief to Iran under the 215 nuclear deal which was signed by former President Obama along with other nations.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/vijay-mallyas-bail-extended-till-april-2-concerns-raised-over-reliability-of-evidence-29276" target="_blank">Vijay Mallya&#39;s bail extended till April 2, concerns raised over reliability of evidence</a>

The Westminster magistrates&#39; court in London on Thursday decided to extend liquor baron Vijay Mallya&#39;s bail till April 2 in association with his extradition case. The bail raised concerns over the reliability of evidence provided by India. Judge Emma Arbuthnot has extended Mallya&#39;s &pound;650,000 bail.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/why-do-we-want-people-from-these-shithole-countries-trump-over-immigrants-from-africa-haiti-29278" target="_blank">Lawmakers angry over Trump&#39;s expletive on immigrants</a>

President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned why the United States would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as &quot;shithole countries&quot;. &quot;Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They&#39;re shithole countries ... We should have more people from Norway&quot; he said. He further slammed the need for Haitians in the United States.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-all-set-to-launch-100th-satellite-today-29283" target="_blank">Countdown begins as ISRO gets set to launch 100th satellite today</a>

India is all set to launch its 100th satellite &#39;Cartosat-2 Series&#39; from Andhra Pradesh&#39;s Sriharikota today. The launch is set for 9:28am on Friday at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-may-cancel-uk-visit-amid-fears-of-mass-protests-report-29282" target="_blank">Trump may cancel UK visit amid fears of mass protests: Report</a>

President Trump may pull out of the visit to Britain next month amid concerns over mass protests when he arrives in London, British media reported. Last month, PM Theresa May&#39;s cabinet minister Sam Gyimah had said he would feel &nbsp;&ldquo;deeply uncomfortable&rdquo; if President Trump&#39;s visit went ahead after May clashed with Trump over US president&#39;s retweets of far-right anti-Muslim propaganda, Britain First.

As Iran nuclear deal hangs in balance, President Macron calls Trump As President Trump mulls over Iran nuclear deal, French President Macron said there should be "strict application" and "importance of all signatories to respect it". Trump is expected to decide today on providing relief to Iran under the 215 nuclear deal which was signed by former President Obama along with other nations. Vijay Mallya's bail extended till April 2, concerns raised over reliability of evidence The Westminster magistrates' court in London on Thursday decided to extend liquor baron Vijay Mallya's bail till April 2 in association with his extradition case. The bail raised concerns over the reliability of evidence provided by India. Judge Emma Arbuthnot has extended Mallya's £650,000 bail. Lawmakers angry over Trump's expletive on immigrants President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned why the United States would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as "shithole countries". "Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They're shithole countries ... We should have more people from Norway" he said. He further slammed the need for Haitians in the United States. Countdown begins as ISRO gets set to launch 100th satellite today India is all set to launch its 100th satellite 'Cartosat-2 Series' from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota today. The launch is set for 9:28am on Friday at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Trump may cancel UK visit amid fears of mass protests: Report President Trump may pull out of the visit to Britain next month amid concerns over mass protests when he arrives in London, British media reported. Last month, PM Theresa May's cabinet minister Sam Gyimah had said he would feel “deeply uncomfortable” if President Trump's visit went ahead after May clashed with Trump over US president's retweets of far-right anti-Muslim propaganda, Britain First.

WION Morning News Brief, January 12, 2017

A BBC documentary says Hafiz Saeed toured British mosques, where he urged jihad, in the 1990&#39;s.&nbsp;

In August 1995, the documentary says, Saeed said in Glasgow that when Muslims had the spirt of jihad, they had ruled the world but were today being humiliated.&nbsp;

India thinks of Saeed as the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Saeed though has consistently denied the accusation.&nbsp;

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<h5>There is non-stop talk about jihad, encouraging British Muslims to join him,&#39; the BBC reported Sajid Iqbal, one of the documentary&#39;s producers, as saying</h5>
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The BBC reported that Saeeds tour of the UK was recorded in a magazine published by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The BBC added that the articles, written in Urdu, were written by the imam of a mosque in Oldham who had accompanied Saeed.&nbsp;

&quot;There is non-stop talk about jihad, encouraging British Muslims to join him,&quot; the BBC reported Sajid Iqbal, one of the documentary&#39;s producers, as saying.&nbsp;

In Glasgow, the BBC said, Saeed addressed a large gathering at Glasgow&#39;s Central Mosque.&nbsp;

There he said the Zionists were using billions of dollars to kill the spirit of jihad -- holy war -- among Muslims.&nbsp;

&quot;They are trying to entice Muslims to the politics of power through democracy,&quot; the BBC documentary quoted Saeed as saying.

&quot;They are also using the interest-based economy to keep Muslims in debt,&quot; Saeed added.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-in-releasing-hafiz-saeed-pakistan-challenges-india-and-us-25420" target="_blank">In releasing Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan challenges India and US</a>

The BBC reported that Saeed also spoke in Birmingham, where he urged his audience &quot;Let&#39;s all rise up for jihad&quot; and denounced &quot;Hindu dogs&quot;.

And in Leicester, Saeed spoke at a conference attended by 4,000 young people.

The BBC documentary is called &quot;The Dawn of British Jihad&quot;.&nbsp;

The documentary was investigating whether members of the Muslim community in Britain had been radicalised before 9/11.&nbsp;

Saeed has never been tried for the Mumbai attacks in which close to 170 people died. He was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/hafiz-saeed-walks-free-vows-to-fight-for-kashmir-cause-24988" target="_blank">recently released from house arrest</a> in Pakistan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A BBC documentary says Hafiz Saeed toured British mosques, where he urged jihad, in the 1990's

A BBC documentary says Hafiz Saeed toured British mosques, where he urged jihad, in the 1990's. In August 1995, the documentary says, Saeed said in Glasgow that when Muslims had the spirt of jihad, they had ruled the world but were today being humiliated. India thinks of Saeed as the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Saeed though has consistently denied the accusation. There is non-stop talk about jihad, encouraging British Muslims to join him,' the BBC reported Sajid Iqbal, one of the documentary's producers, as saying × The BBC reported that Saeeds tour of the UK was recorded in a magazine published by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The BBC added that the articles, written in Urdu, were written by the imam of a mosque in Oldham who had accompanied Saeed. "There is non-stop talk about jihad, encouraging British Muslims to join him," the BBC reported Sajid Iqbal, one of the documentary's producers, as saying. In Glasgow, the BBC said, Saeed addressed a large gathering at Glasgow's Central Mosque. There he said the Zionists were using billions of dollars to kill the spirit of jihad -- holy war -- among Muslims. "They are trying to entice Muslims to the politics of power through democracy," the BBC documentary quoted Saeed as saying. "They are also using the interest-based economy to keep Muslims in debt," Saeed added. Also read: In releasing Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan challenges India and US The BBC reported that Saeed also spoke in Birmingham, where he urged his audience "Let's all rise up for jihad" and denounced "Hindu dogs". And in Leicester, Saeed spoke at a conference attended by 4,000 young people. The BBC documentary is called "The Dawn of British Jihad". The documentary was investigating whether members of the Muslim community in Britain had been radicalised before 9/11. Saeed has never been tried for the Mumbai attacks in which close to 170 people died. He was recently released from house arrest in Pakistan.

Hafiz Saeed urged jihad in UK in 1990's: BBC

An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to underage UK teenagers at his shop in north London.

Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday.

Patel&#39;s deathbed photograph, hooked up to a life-support machine, has been released by his family as part of an appeal to hunt for suspects involved in the attack.

A 16-year-old boy appeared in court today and was charged with murdering Patel, the father of two.

&quot;The Homicide and Major Crime Command continue to investigate and appeal for information about the events leading up to the incident which resulted in Patel&#39;s death. It is believed that three persons were involved in the incident,&quot; Scotland Yard said in a statement.

Detective Inspector Ian Lott, from the Metropolitan Police Homicide and Major Crime Command,?described the attack as an &quot;unprovoked spontaneous incident sparked entirely by refusal to let the suspects buy what they wanted&quot;.

&quot;A man has lost his life for no reason other than trying to uphold the law,&quot; he said.

Patel was struck in the chest and fell backwards, hitting his head as he landed.

He was found lying injured on the pavement outside his local convenience store named Rota Express by London Ambulance Service, who rushed him to St. Mary&#39;s Hospital in London.

Patel had moved to London with his family from India in 2006 and his wife, Vibha, was visiting relatives in India at the time of the fatal attack.

&quot;We are shocked and heartbroken. He was such a kind person. We are all very close because his children are out of the country studying,&quot;?said the victim&#39;s brother, Prakash.

The shopkeeper&#39;s friends described him as &quot;honest&quot; and &quot;hard-working&quot;.

An online fundraising page set up for his family and has so far raised more than 15,000 pounds.

Just before the attack, a shop worker had asked a group youths for identification to prove they were over 18 years age ? the legal age limit for purchase of tobacco and alcohol in the UK.

When they could not provide it, the group became &quot;became aggressive, threatening to vandalise the shop&quot;, the Met Police said.

Patel, who lived in Colindale area of north London, came to the aid of his colleague and was punched to the floor outside before the teenagers fled.

The shop worker was also punched and suffered minor injuries.

&quot;Vijay was the best human being you could have seen in the world. He was my right arm,&quot; said Abdullah Rahimzai, the owner of the shop who was also hurt during the attack.

&quot;He fell unexpectedly with his head on the ground,&quot; he recalled.

The Met Police are appealing for witnesses to track down the remaining suspects in the case.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Vijay Patel, 49, had refused to sell the paper to underage teenagers at his shop in north London

An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to underage UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday. Patel's deathbed photograph, hooked up to a life-support machine, has been released by his family as part of an appeal to hunt for suspects involved in the attack. A 16-year-old boy appeared in court today and was charged with murdering Patel, the father of two. "The Homicide and Major Crime Command continue to investigate and appeal for information about the events leading up to the incident which resulted in Patel's death. It is believed that three persons were involved in the incident," Scotland Yard said in a statement. Detective Inspector Ian Lott, from the Metropolitan Police Homicide and Major Crime Command,?described the attack as an "unprovoked spontaneous incident sparked entirely by refusal to let the suspects buy what they wanted". "A man has lost his life for no reason other than trying to uphold the law," he said. Patel was struck in the chest and fell backwards, hitting his head as he landed. He was found lying injured on the pavement outside his local convenience store named Rota Express by London Ambulance Service, who rushed him to St. Mary's Hospital in London. Patel had moved to London with his family from India in 2006 and his wife, Vibha, was visiting relatives in India at the time of the fatal attack. "We are shocked and heartbroken. He was such a kind person. We are all very close because his children are out of the country studying,"?said the victim's brother, Prakash. The shopkeeper's friends described him as "honest" and "hard-working". An online fundraising page set up for his family and has so far raised more than 15,000 pounds. Just before the attack, a shop worker had asked a group youths for identification to prove they were over 18 years age ? the legal age limit for purchase of tobacco and alcohol in the UK. When they could not provide it, the group became "became aggressive, threatening to vandalise the shop", the Met Police said. Patel, who lived in Colindale area of north London, came to the aid of his colleague and was punched to the floor outside before the teenagers fled. The shop worker was also punched and suffered minor injuries. "Vijay was the best human being you could have seen in the world. He was my right arm," said Abdullah Rahimzai, the owner of the shop who was also hurt during the attack. "He fell unexpectedly with his head on the ground," he recalled. The Met Police are appealing for witnesses to track down the remaining suspects in the case.

Indian-origin shopkeeper beaten to death in UK for not selling cigarette paper

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">&#39;Saale ko </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">goli</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">maaro</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">,&#39; armed men shouted as they tried to abduct WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief Taha </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">Siddiqui</a>

WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-taha-siddiqui-narrowly-escapes-abduction-attempt-29101" target="_blank">narrowly escaped an abduction attempt</a>&nbsp;on him this morning in Islamabad, Pakistan. Taha Siddiqui had been on his way to the Islamabad airport in a cab early Wednesday morning -- he was going on leave for three days -- when another car overtook him and blocked his path.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uidai-issues-virtual-id-against-aadhaar-to-strengthen-data-security-29128" target="_blank">After report of Aadhar details being sold, UIDAI issues virtual IDs</a>

Days after a media report that Aadhaar details were being sold for as little as Rs 500, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday introduced virtual IDs for Aadhar holders which can be used in lieu of a person&#39;s Aadhaar number.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-origin-shopkeeper-beaten-to-death-in-uk-29141" target="_blank">Indian-origin shopkeeper beaten to death in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-origin-shopkeeper-beaten-to-death-in-uk-29141" target="_blank">UK</a>

An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to under-age UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to a hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/1984-anti-sikh-riots-case-supreme-court-orders-re-investigation-of-186-cases-29114" target="_blank">1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC orders reinvestigation of 186 cases</a>

The Supreme Court on Wednesday has ordered re-investigation of 186 cases in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. These cases had earlier been closed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-army-killed-138-pakistani-soldiers-across-loc-in-2017-sources-29119" target="_blank">Indian Army killed 138 Pakistani soldiers across LoC in 2017: Sources</a>

The Indian Army killed 138 Pakistan Army personnel in 2017 in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, government intelligence sources said today.

'Saale ko goli maaro,' armed men shouted as they tried to abduct WION's Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui WION's Pakistan bureau chief narrowly escaped an abduction attempt on him this morning in Islamabad, Pakistan. Taha Siddiqui had been on his way to the Islamabad airport in a cab early Wednesday morning -- he was going on leave for three days -- when another car overtook him and blocked his path. After report of Aadhar details being sold, UIDAI issues virtual IDs Days after a media report that Aadhaar details were being sold for as little as Rs 500, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday introduced virtual IDs for Aadhar holders which can be used in lieu of a person's Aadhaar number. Indian-origin shopkeeper beaten to death in UK An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to under-age UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to a hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC orders reinvestigation of 186 cases The Supreme Court on Wednesday has ordered re-investigation of 186 cases in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. These cases had earlier been closed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. Indian Army killed 138 Pakistani soldiers across LoC in 2017: Sources The Indian Army killed 138 Pakistan Army personnel in 2017 in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, government intelligence sources said today.

WION Evening News brief, January 10, 2018

While people across the world brace up for more stringent visa norms in the coming year, the UK is likely to relax its immigration policy in 2018.&nbsp;

The UK is all set to introduce a new set of immigration rules which includes granting work visas to international students with more flexibility.

The regulation will come into effect from January 11, 2018.&nbsp;

According to reports, foreign students in the UK will now be able to apply for the tier-2 visa or skilled worker visa soon after completing their course.

The current regulation allows students to apply for a work visa only after they have obtained their degree.&nbsp;

Students with tier-4 or study visa will now be able to stay longer in the United Kingdom for up to 16 months.

Usually, by the time the students receive their degrees, their student visas expire.&nbsp;

The move followed discussions between the UK government and various universities in the country.

The regulation will come into effect from January 11, 2018.?

While people across the world brace up for more stringent visa norms in the coming year, the UK is likely to relax its immigration policy in 2018. The UK is all set to introduce a new set of immigration rules which includes granting work visas to international students with more flexibility. The regulation will come into effect from January 11, 2018. According to reports, foreign students in the UK will now be able to apply for the tier-2 visa or skilled worker visa soon after completing their course. The current regulation allows students to apply for a work visa only after they have obtained their degree. Students with tier-4 or study visa will now be able to stay longer in the United Kingdom for up to 16 months. Usually, by the time the students receive their degrees, their student visas expire. The move followed discussions between the UK government and various universities in the country.

UK to roll out new immigration policy in 2018

Scientists in the UK have discovered &#39;smoke rings&#39; in the Tasman Sea.

These fast-moving eddies may &#39;suck up&#39; small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean.&nbsp;

A team of experts at the University of Liverpool, UK spotted the discovery while analysing sea level measurements.

The analysis took help from satellites and also looked at measuring sea surface temperature.&nbsp;

Satellite images procured unveiled the so-called &#39;smoke-rings&#39;.

&quot;What we found was a pair of eddies spinning in opposite directions and linked to each other so that they travel together all the way across the Tasman Sea, taking six months to do it,&quot; shared Chris Hughes, lead author of the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

&quot;The smoke rings require an area of calm water to &#39;puff&#39; out through, which itself is quite unusual. I have looked at other areas of other oceans but I have only seen them in the oceans around Australia, plus one in the South Atlantic,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The rings in the ocean are cut in half by the sea surface, so we see the two ends of the half ring at the surface, experts noted.

Ocean eddies are often described as swirling motions which mix the water and carry it across the average currents.

The &#39;smoke-rings&#39; are identified as a pair of linked eddies spinning in opposite directions.

These &#39;linked eddies&#39; are therefore capable of travelling up to ten times the speed of &#39;normal&#39; eddies.

The &#39;smoke-rings&#39; were spotted in Tasman sea, southwest of Australia and in the South Atlantic, west of South Africa.

(With inputs from PTI)

A team of experts at the University of Liverpool, UK, spotted the discovery while analysing sea level measurements

Scientists in the UK have discovered 'smoke rings' in the Tasman Sea. These fast-moving eddies may 'suck up' small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean. A team of experts at the University of Liverpool, UK spotted the discovery while analysing sea level measurements. The analysis took help from satellites and also looked at measuring sea surface temperature. Satellite images procured unveiled the so-called 'smoke-rings'. "What we found was a pair of eddies spinning in opposite directions and linked to each other so that they travel together all the way across the Tasman Sea, taking six months to do it," shared Chris Hughes, lead author of the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. "The smoke rings require an area of calm water to 'puff' out through, which itself is quite unusual. I have looked at other areas of other oceans but I have only seen them in the oceans around Australia, plus one in the South Atlantic," he added. The rings in the ocean are cut in half by the sea surface, so we see the two ends of the half ring at the surface, experts noted. Ocean eddies are often described as swirling motions which mix the water and carry it across the average currents. The 'smoke-rings' are identified as a pair of linked eddies spinning in opposite directions. These 'linked eddies' are therefore capable of travelling up to ten times the speed of 'normal' eddies. The 'smoke-rings' were spotted in Tasman sea, southwest of Australia and in the South Atlantic, west of South Africa. (With inputs from PTI)

Scientists discover 'smoke rings' in Tasman sea

India looks set to leapfrog Britain and France next year to become the world&#39;s fifth-largest&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Economy" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-to-leapfrog-uk-and-france-to-become-fifth-largest-economy-in-2018-report/articleshow/62250484.cms~economy-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Economy">economy</a>&nbsp;in dollar terms, a report showed on Tuesday.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) consultancy&#39;s 2018 World Economic League Table painted an upbeat view of the global economy, boosted by cheap energy and technology prices.

India&#39;s ascent is part of a trend that will see Asian economies&nbsp;increasingly dominate the top 10 largest economies over the next 15 years. 
 
&quot;Despite temporary setbacks ... India&#39;s economy has still caught up with that of France and the UK and in 2018 will have overtaken them both to become the world&#39;s fifth largest economy in dollar terms,&quot; said Douglas McWilliams, Cebr deputy chairman.

McWilliams said India&#39;s growth had been slowed by restrictions on&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/demonetisation" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-to-leapfrog-uk-and-france-to-become-fifth-largest-economy-in-2018-report/articleshow/62250484.cms~demonetisation-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/demonetisation">demonetisation&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/gst" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-to-leapfrog-uk-and-france-to-become-fifth-largest-economy-in-2018-report/articleshow/62250484.cms~GST-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/gst">GST</a>, a view shared by economists polled by Reuters.&nbsp;China is likely to overtake the United States&nbsp;+&nbsp;as the world&#39;s No.1 economy in 2032, Cebr said.

&quot;Because the impact of President&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Trump" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-to-leapfrog-uk-and-france-to-become-fifth-largest-economy-in-2018-report/articleshow/62250484.cms~Trump-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;on trade has been less severe than expected, the USA will retain its global crown a year longer than we anticipated in the last report,&quot; the report said.

While Britain looks set to lag behind France over the next couple of years, Cebr predicted that Brexit&#39;s effects on Britain&#39;s economy will be less than feared, allowing it to overtake France again in 2020.

Russia was vulnerable to low oil prices and too reliant on the energy sector and looked likely to fall to 17th place among the world&#39;s largest economies by 2032, from 11th now. 
 
A Reuters poll of economists in late October suggested global economic growth in 2018 looks likely to quicken slightly to 3.6 per cent from 3.5 per cent this year - with risks to that forecast lying on the upside.

&nbsp;

India's ascent is part of a trend that will see Asian economies?increasingly dominate the top 10 largest economies over the next 15 years

India looks set to leapfrog Britain and France next year to become the world's fifth-largest economy in dollar terms, a report showed on Tuesday. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) consultancy's 2018 World Economic League Table painted an upbeat view of the global economy, boosted by cheap energy and technology prices. India's ascent is part of a trend that will see Asian economies increasingly dominate the top 10 largest economies over the next 15 years. "Despite temporary setbacks ... India's economy has still caught up with that of France and the UK and in 2018 will have overtaken them both to become the world's fifth largest economy in dollar terms," said Douglas McWilliams, Cebr deputy chairman. McWilliams said India's growth had been slowed by restrictions on demonetisation and GST, a view shared by economists polled by Reuters. China is likely to overtake the United States + as the world's No.1 economy in 2032, Cebr said. "Because the impact of President Trump on trade has been less severe than expected, the USA will retain its global crown a year longer than we anticipated in the last report," the report said. While Britain looks set to lag behind France over the next couple of years, Cebr predicted that Brexit's effects on Britain's economy will be less than feared, allowing it to overtake France again in 2020. Russia was vulnerable to low oil prices and too reliant on the energy sector and looked likely to fall to 17th place among the world's largest economies by 2032, from 11th now. A Reuters poll of economists in late October suggested global economic growth in 2018 looks likely to quicken slightly to 3.6 per cent from 3.5 per cent this year - with risks to that forecast lying on the upside.

India to overtake UK and France to become fifth-largest economy in 2018: Report

British Prime Minister Theresa May was set to avoid a damaging parliamentary defeat after rebels in her party appeared to strike a compromise over the exact timing of Brexit.&nbsp;The government is trying to pass major domestic legislation to implement Brexit and had wanted to enshrine the leaving date of March 29, 2019, in British law, two years after serving its intention to withdraw.&nbsp;

But Conservative rebel MPs, who helped deliver the government a stinging Brexit defeat in parliament on Wednesday, looked set to reject the plan over fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal if talks overrun, heaping further worries on the vulnerable prime minister.

A senior EU official told AFP on Saturday that sealing a final deal by March 2019 was a daunting task, pointing out that the EU trade deal with Canada &quot;is 1,598 pages of legal text, and we have negotiated for nine months and have 19 pages of non-legal text.&quot;

May is therefore under pressure from MPs to avoid a &quot;cliff-edge&quot; divorce that would throw the economy into chaos.&nbsp;But at the same time, she is being pressed by Brexit voters and eurosceptic potential usurpers in her own party to deliver Brexit in March 2019, as stipulated by the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty.

As a result, the rebels late Friday backed a new, more conciliatory, amendment to the Brexit bill to avert another House of Commons vote loss for the government.&nbsp;While the original plan to leave in March 2019 will stay in the bill, a new amendment will give ministers the power to delay the date if talks overrun.

&#39;Time to move on&#39;

Tory MP Oliver Letwin, who tabled the new amendment, told the Guardian it would &quot;create a sensible arrangement in which the date for leaving is set&quot; while allowing &quot;a little extra time&quot; to reach a new deal if needed.&nbsp;

Rebel MP Sarah Wollaston backed the compromise, tweeting it was &quot;good to see this amendment&quot;, and attached text saying &quot;we are pleased the government has responded to our concerns and will support&quot;, although May&#39;s office would not confirm that it had officially backed the plan.

Fellow rebel Anna Soubry tweeted it was &quot;time to move on and build a consensus on Brexit&quot;.&nbsp;The two teamed up on Wednesday to help pass an amendment demanding MPs get a &quot;meaningful vote&quot; on the deal before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.

It was May&#39;s first defeat over the legislation, which will formally end Britain&#39;s membership of the EU, as well as smooth its exit by transferring thousands of pieces of European legislation onto the UK statute books.&nbsp;It came as a body blow to May on the eve of a summit in Brussels, where EU leaders approved the terms of the interim Brexit deal agreed last week after months of tortuous negotiations.

May lost her parliamentary majority during June&#39;s snap election and had to strike a deal with Northern Ireland&#39;s DUP to stay in power.&nbsp;She has since struggled to assert her authority, with rumours swirling of a leadership challenge, but appeared to be on the more solid ground after agreeing to the interim Brexit deal.

But her domestic weakness was laid bare on Wednesday when it took only 11 rebels to defeat the government&#39;s powers to enact a Brexit deal without a parliamentary vote.

Theresa May is under pressure from MPs to avoid a "cliff-edge" divorce that would throw the economy into chaos. But at the same time she is being pressed by Brexit voters to deliver Brexit in March 2019, as stipulated by the EU's Lisbon Treaty

British Prime Minister Theresa May was set to avoid a damaging parliamentary defeat after rebels in her party appeared to strike a compromise over the exact timing of Brexit. The government is trying to pass major domestic legislation to implement Brexit and had wanted to enshrine the leaving date of March 29, 2019, in British law, two years after serving its intention to withdraw. But Conservative rebel MPs, who helped deliver the government a stinging Brexit defeat in parliament on Wednesday, looked set to reject the plan over fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal if talks overrun, heaping further worries on the vulnerable prime minister. A senior EU official told AFP on Saturday that sealing a final deal by March 2019 was a daunting task, pointing out that the EU trade deal with Canada "is 1,598 pages of legal text, and we have negotiated for nine months and have 19 pages of non-legal text." May is therefore under pressure from MPs to avoid a "cliff-edge" divorce that would throw the economy into chaos. But at the same time, she is being pressed by Brexit voters and eurosceptic potential usurpers in her own party to deliver Brexit in March 2019, as stipulated by the EU's Lisbon Treaty. As a result, the rebels late Friday backed a new, more conciliatory, amendment to the Brexit bill to avert another House of Commons vote loss for the government. While the original plan to leave in March 2019 will stay in the bill, a new amendment will give ministers the power to delay the date if talks overrun. 'Time to move on' Tory MP Oliver Letwin, who tabled the new amendment, told the Guardian it would "create a sensible arrangement in which the date for leaving is set" while allowing "a little extra time" to reach a new deal if needed. Rebel MP Sarah Wollaston backed the compromise, tweeting it was "good to see this amendment", and attached text saying "we are pleased the government has responded to our concerns and will support", although May's office would not confirm that it had officially backed the plan. Fellow rebel Anna Soubry tweeted it was "time to move on and build a consensus on Brexit". The two teamed up on Wednesday to help pass an amendment demanding MPs get a "meaningful vote" on the deal before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019. It was May's first defeat over the legislation, which will formally end Britain's membership of the EU, as well as smooth its exit by transferring thousands of pieces of European legislation onto the UK statute books. It came as a body blow to May on the eve of a summit in Brussels, where EU leaders approved the terms of the interim Brexit deal agreed last week after months of tortuous negotiations. May lost her parliamentary majority during June's snap election and had to strike a deal with Northern Ireland's DUP to stay in power. She has since struggled to assert her authority, with rumours swirling of a leadership challenge, but appeared to be on the more solid ground after agreeing to the interim Brexit deal. But her domestic weakness was laid bare on Wednesday when it took only 11 rebels to defeat the government's powers to enact a Brexit deal without a parliamentary vote.

Brexit rebel MPs compromise with UK govt over key bill

Big companies are stepping up their plans in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to get talks back on track after a major setback.&nbsp;

Britain is aiming to agree with the EU on December 14 to move the Brexit talks on to the second phase. This would focus on trade and a two-year transition deal to smooth the departure after March 2019. But the timetable has been thrown into doubt after discussions broke down in Brussels on Monday.&nbsp;

Senior executives in the financial services sector, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy, told Reuters May&#39;s efforts to secure a transition deal had come too late and they had no choice but to start restructuring.&nbsp;Big supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury&#39;s have been working with suppliers to identify potential delays, shortages or price rises. They have lined up alternative providers, according to suppliers and sources in the industry.

The uncertainty is particularly painful for the manufacturing sector as low margins make it risky for them to restructure unless it is essential. They have been holding off on investment but are preparing for new certification that would allow them to sell in Europe if there is no deal.&nbsp;&quot;The delay is so great and the uncertainty is so great that companies have no choice but to start triggering their plans,&quot; the head of one of Britain`s largest companies said.

Britain and the EU are working to get talks back on track this week but the chairman of one large international bank said its executives had decided to plan for the worst at a conference call on Tuesday.&nbsp;&quot;The question is no longer whether we are moving (operations to the EU), it is a question of how big those moves are going to be&quot; he said.&nbsp;Like other executives, he had been asked by his board and the government not to divulge their&nbsp;thinking.&nbsp;

The chairman said the bank has started discussions with customers about rerouting client activity to European hubs, including rewriting thousands of contracts.&nbsp;Senior employees were told last month if they had to relocate to Europe, he said.&nbsp;

Another senior executive at a large U.S. bank said that he was increasingly concerned that May&#39;s government could collapse after the Brussels talks broke down over a dispute over the Irish border, adding to the uncertainty. &quot;We are at the maximum point of danger,&quot; he said.

The financial sector needs extra time to make sure its clients are prepared. For instance, a British bank opening a subsidiary in Europe may need its clients to adopt a new sort code throughout their own supply chains.&nbsp;In other sectors, companies are making smaller changes that would enable them to operate in Europe after Brexit, from preparing compliance changes to drawing up shadow supply chains and looking for additional warehouse space.&nbsp;

Fruit and beef&nbsp;

Food retailers are lining up alternative suppliers in Britain or outside the EU in case of delays at borders or new tariffs disrupt deliveries. Around 30 percent of Britain`s food and drink comes from the EU.&nbsp;Some changes would need to be made early next year in time for the 2019 departure. Changing a fresh fruit supplier could require a lead time of a year, depending on the growing cycle.&nbsp;

Ali Capper, a partner in Stocks Farm in Worcestershire, central England, and a chair of the Horticulture and Potatoes Board at the National Farmers Union, said there were signs retail customers were requesting more British produce.&nbsp;Ireland provides almost 70 percent of UK beef imports, or 270,000 tonnes a year. Were tariffs or border delays to make Irish beef less competitive, supermarkets could look further afield, for instance to Argentina.&nbsp;

Manufacturing pressure

Many manufacturers are unwilling to sign off on new plans until they know how Britain will trade in the future.&nbsp;The drugs sector has been among the first to move so they can comply with EU regulations. GSK and AstraZeneca have already set up new facilities in mainland Europe to test batches of drugs made in Britain.&nbsp;Autos and aerospace firms are focusing on certification. According to the aerospace and defense trade body, ADS, some companies are considering applying to the European Aviation Safety Agency for a status that would enable them to sell in the EU if Britain was no longer a member state.&nbsp;

Japanese carmaker Honda, which builds around 8 percent of British cars at its plant in Swindon, is considering increasing its warehouse capacity in Britain and stock levels to counter any new border delays.&nbsp;Manufacturers reluctance to sign off on big plans has had a knock-on effect on companies in the supply chain.&nbsp;

&quot;The biggest impact we see is a general unwillingness to make investment and capacity decisions as result of the continued uncertainty,&quot; said Stephen Cheetham, owner of PK Engineering Ltd of Hereford, a supplier of components to the aerospace and scientific industries.&nbsp;&quot;We would expect continued paralysis and short-termism until a trade deal is finalized,&quot; he told Reuters.&nbsp;

Having a transition deal will allow businesses to survive the two years after Brexit by allowing them to defer any big decisions until the final parameters of Brexit are worked out, said Andrew Bonfield, finance director of National Grid and chairman of the 100 Group of finance chiefs.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s about the avoidance of a cliff edge,&quot; he said.

Banks, food retailers, drug manufacturers, and car makers are preparing for disorderly Brexit.

Big companies are stepping up their plans in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to get talks back on track after a major setback. Britain is aiming to agree with the EU on December 14 to move the Brexit talks on to the second phase. This would focus on trade and a two-year transition deal to smooth the departure after March 2019. But the timetable has been thrown into doubt after discussions broke down in Brussels on Monday. Senior executives in the financial services sector, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy, told Reuters May's efforts to secure a transition deal had come too late and they had no choice but to start restructuring. Big supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have been working with suppliers to identify potential delays, shortages or price rises. They have lined up alternative providers, according to suppliers and sources in the industry. The uncertainty is particularly painful for the manufacturing sector as low margins make it risky for them to restructure unless it is essential. They have been holding off on investment but are preparing for new certification that would allow them to sell in Europe if there is no deal. "The delay is so great and the uncertainty is so great that companies have no choice but to start triggering their plans," the head of one of Britain`s largest companies said. Britain and the EU are working to get talks back on track this week but the chairman of one large international bank said its executives had decided to plan for the worst at a conference call on Tuesday. "The question is no longer whether we are moving (operations to the EU), it is a question of how big those moves are going to be" he said. Like other executives, he had been asked by his board and the government not to divulge their thinking. The chairman said the bank has started discussions with customers about rerouting client activity to European hubs, including rewriting thousands of contracts. Senior employees were told last month if they had to relocate to Europe, he said. Another senior executive at a large U.S. bank said that he was increasingly concerned that May's government could collapse after the Brussels talks broke down over a dispute over the Irish border, adding to the uncertainty. "We are at the maximum point of danger," he said. The financial sector needs extra time to make sure its clients are prepared. For instance, a British bank opening a subsidiary in Europe may need its clients to adopt a new sort code throughout their own supply chains. In other sectors, companies are making smaller changes that would enable them to operate in Europe after Brexit, from preparing compliance changes to drawing up shadow supply chains and looking for additional warehouse space. Fruit and beef Food retailers are lining up alternative suppliers in Britain or outside the EU in case of delays at borders or new tariffs disrupt deliveries. Around 30 percent of Britain`s food and drink comes from the EU. Some changes would need to be made early next year in time for the 2019 departure. Changing a fresh fruit supplier could require a lead time of a year, depending on the growing cycle. Ali Capper, a partner in Stocks Farm in Worcestershire, central England, and a chair of the Horticulture and Potatoes Board at the National Farmers Union, said there were signs retail customers were requesting more British produce. Ireland provides almost 70 percent of UK beef imports, or 270,000 tonnes a year. Were tariffs or border delays to make Irish beef less competitive, supermarkets could look further afield, for instance to Argentina. Manufacturing pressure Many manufacturers are unwilling to sign off on new plans until they know how Britain will trade in the future. The drugs sector has been among the first to move so they can comply with EU regulations. GSK and AstraZeneca have already set up new facilities in mainland Europe to test batches of drugs made in Britain. Autos and aerospace firms are focusing on certification. According to the aerospace and defense trade body, ADS, some companies are considering applying to the European Aviation Safety Agency for a status that would enable them to sell in the EU if Britain was no longer a member state. Japanese carmaker Honda, which builds around 8 percent of British cars at its plant in Swindon, is considering increasing its warehouse capacity in Britain and stock levels to counter any new border delays. Manufacturers reluctance to sign off on big plans has had a knock-on effect on companies in the supply chain. "The biggest impact we see is a general unwillingness to make investment and capacity decisions as result of the continued uncertainty," said Stephen Cheetham, owner of PK Engineering Ltd of Hereford, a supplier of components to the aerospace and scientific industries. "We would expect continued paralysis and short-termism until a trade deal is finalized," he told Reuters. Having a transition deal will allow businesses to survive the two years after Brexit by allowing them to defer any big decisions until the final parameters of Brexit are worked out, said Andrew Bonfield, finance director of National Grid and chairman of the 100 Group of finance chiefs. "It's about the avoidance of a cliff edge," he said.

Companies prepare for disorderly Brexit as talks stall

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-case-next-hearing-in-supreme-court-in-february-2018-25932" target="_blank">Ayodhya case: Supreme Court defers case to February next year</a>

The Supreme court has fixed the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/babri-masjid-ramjanmabhoomi-dispute-a-timeline-25799" target="_blank">&nbsp;Ayodhya dispute matter</a>&nbsp;for further hearing on February 8, 2018.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-evidence-to-link-mallya-to-fraud-charge-says-his-lawyer-in-uk-court-25947" target="_blank">No evidence to link Mallya to fraud charge, says his lawyer in UK court</a>

Mallya&rsquo;s defence lawyer&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/repeatedly-said-charges-against-me-fabricated-and-baseless-mallya-25834">Clare Montgomery today told the Westminster Magistrates&nbsp;</a>Court that there was no evidence against the liquor baron to extradite him to India The UK court is hearing a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/vijay-mallya-arrested-in-london-appears-in-court-granted-bail-20957">case related to money laundering&nbsp;</a>and fraud with Mallya owing several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-rohingya-petition-on-january-31-25945" target="_blank">Supreme Court to hear Rohingya petition on January 31</a>

The Supreme Court has scheduled the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-rohingya-refugees-pil-challenging-deportation-22374" target="_blank">&nbsp;hearing for Rohingya refugees deportation&nbsp;</a>on January 31. The apex court has posted all petitions relating to the deportation of Muslim Rohingya refugees for a detailed hearing in January.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/al-qaedas-top-leader-killed-in-us-afghan-joint-op-25926" target="_blank">Top al Qaeda leader Omar </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/al-qaedas-top-leader-killed-in-us-afghan-joint-op-25926" target="_blank">Mansoon</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/al-qaedas-top-leader-killed-in-us-afghan-joint-op-25926" target="_blank"> killed in US-Afghan joint operation</a>

Al Qaeda&nbsp;leader, as well as over 80 other militants, have been killed in a joint operation by Afghan and US officials in Afghanistan, reports say. The leader, Omar Khetab, famously known as&nbsp;Omar Mansoon was gunned down during the attack, Afghan&#39;s Intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) was reported saying.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/bus-bomb-kills-eight-passengers-in-syrias-homs-city-state-media-25940" target="_blank">Bus bomb kills eight passengers in Syria&#39;s Homs city: Report</a>

A bomb blast in the Syrian city of Homs killed eight people and injured around 16 in a bus on Tuesday, media reports said.&nbsp;The blast took place near al-Baath university, in the streets of &nbsp;Akrama neighbourhood - home to members of the Alawite minority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ayodhya case: Supreme Court defers case to February next year The Supreme court has fixed the Ayodhya dispute matter for further hearing on February 8, 2018. No evidence to link Mallya to fraud charge, says his lawyer in UK court Mallya’s defence lawyer Clare Montgomery today told the Westminster Magistrates Court that there was no evidence against the liquor baron to extradite him to India The UK court is hearing a case related to money laundering and fraud with Mallya owing several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores. Supreme Court to hear Rohingya petition on January 31 The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing for Rohingya refugees deportation on January 31. The apex court has posted all petitions relating to the deportation of Muslim Rohingya refugees for a detailed hearing in January. Top al Qaeda leader Omar Mansoon killed in US-Afghan joint operation Al Qaeda leader, as well as over 80 other militants, have been killed in a joint operation by Afghan and US officials in Afghanistan, reports say. The leader, Omar Khetab, famously known as Omar Mansoon was gunned down during the attack, Afghan's Intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) was reported saying. Bus bomb kills eight passengers in Syria's Homs city: Report A bomb blast in the Syrian city of Homs killed eight people and injured around 16 in a bus on Tuesday, media reports said. The blast took place near al-Baath university, in the streets of Akrama neighbourhood - home to members of the Alawite minority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.

WION Evening News Brief, December 5, 2017

An 18-year-old Indian-origin trainee pilot and his compatriot instructor were among four persons killed in a mid-air collision between a light aircraft and a helicopter in south-east England, police confirmed on Wednesday.

Savaan Mundae, an aeronautics student from Buckinghamshire New University who was training to be a commercial pilot, died with his instructor Jaspal Bahra in the Cessna 152 on November 17.

Both Mundae and 27-year-old Bahra were British citizens.

The two others killed in the crash in a field in Buckinghamshire was another British flight trainer, 74-year- old Michael Green and his 32-year-old Vietnamese trainee pilot Thanh Nguyen, who were in the helicopter on a training session.

&ldquo;The air accident is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). Our thoughts remain with the families of those involved in the accident. Our family liaison officers continue to offer to support the victim&rsquo;s families,&rdquo; Thames Valley Police said in a statement following formal identification of the victims.

Both aircraft came from Wycombe Air Park, also known as Booker Airfield, near High Wycombe, which offers flight training.

They crashed shortly after takeoff in woodlands in Upper Winchendon in the village of Waddesdon.

&ldquo;These amazing people lost their lives but they both died doing what they love and what they believe in...I fly with these guys and being a pilot is what I&rsquo;ve wanted to do since I was very young, but it&rsquo;s hit me hard,&rdquo; Benjamin Hant, who studied air transport with commercial pilot training along with Mundae, said in a social media tribute.

Air accident experts are still investigating the cause of the collision.

Both aircraft disintegrated on impact and plummeted to the ground.

The wreckage from both aircraft has now been taken to the AAIB headquarters in Hampshire while it continues its investigation.

The location of the crash was on Waddesdon private estate, owned by the Rothschild banking family.

Savaan Mundae, an aeronautics student from Buckinghamshire New University who was training to be a commercial pilot, died with his instructor Jaspal Bahra in the Cessna 152 on November 17

An 18-year-old Indian-origin trainee pilot and his compatriot instructor were among four persons killed in a mid-air collision between a light aircraft and a helicopter in south-east England, police confirmed on Wednesday. Savaan Mundae, an aeronautics student from Buckinghamshire New University who was training to be a commercial pilot, died with his instructor Jaspal Bahra in the Cessna 152 on November 17. Both Mundae and 27-year-old Bahra were British citizens. The two others killed in the crash in a field in Buckinghamshire was another British flight trainer, 74-year- old Michael Green and his 32-year-old Vietnamese trainee pilot Thanh Nguyen, who were in the helicopter on a training session. “The air accident is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). Our thoughts remain with the families of those involved in the accident. Our family liaison officers continue to offer to support the victim’s families,” Thames Valley Police said in a statement following formal identification of the victims. Both aircraft came from Wycombe Air Park, also known as Booker Airfield, near High Wycombe, which offers flight training. They crashed shortly after takeoff in woodlands in Upper Winchendon in the village of Waddesdon. “These amazing people lost their lives but they both died doing what they love and what they believe in...I fly with these guys and being a pilot is what I’ve wanted to do since I was very young, but it’s hit me hard,” Benjamin Hant, who studied air transport with commercial pilot training along with Mundae, said in a social media tribute. Air accident experts are still investigating the cause of the collision. Both aircraft disintegrated on impact and plummeted to the ground. The wreckage from both aircraft has now been taken to the AAIB headquarters in Hampshire while it continues its investigation. The location of the crash was on Waddesdon private estate, owned by the Rothschild banking family.

Two Indian-origin men among 4 killed in collision between helicopter and plane in UK

The battle for a seat in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between India and Britain has run into a stalemate, even as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the &quot;UK of trying to stall the will of the majority of the UN General Assembly&quot;.

Dalveer Bhandari from India and Christopher Greenwood from the UK are seeking re-election at the Hague-based International Court of Justice.

One-third of its 15-member bench are elected every three years for a nine-year term, elections for which are held separately but simultaneously in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council in New York.

Last Thursday, four of the six candidates in the fray were elected as per the UN laws, got absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Ronny Abraham of France, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf of Somalia, Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade of Brazil and Nawaf Salam of Lebanon were elected after four rounds of elections&nbsp;on Thursday.

Yesterday, the UN General Assembly and the Security Council met separately to elect the remaining one candidate for the ICJ.

In each of the five rounds of elections, Greenwood of Britain received nine votes and Bhandari got five in the UN Security Council.

Given that Britain is a Permanent member of the Security Council, Greenwood has an advantage over Bhandari.

Bhandari received an absolute majority in the General Assembly elections in all the five rounds. In fact, he increased his vote tally from&nbsp;Thursday&#39;s&nbsp;115 to 121 votes in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-to-face-house-judiciary-panel-on-november-14-24132">the General Assembly elections</a> yesterday against the absolute majority number of 97.

The vote tally of Greenwood dropped from 76 to 68&nbsp;on Monday.

With the two countries in a deadlock over the one remaining ICJ seat, both the General Assembly and Security Council announced to adjourn the meeting for the election to be convened at a later date.

Ahead of the yesterday&#39;s voting, Congress leader and former top UN official Tharoor said that the &quot;voice of the General Assembly&quot; has been ignored for too long.

&quot;As the UN Security Council (SC) &amp; General Assembly (GA) vote to choose a judge for the International Court Of Justice (#ICJ) between Indian &amp; UK candidates, the legitimacy &amp; effectiveness of the UN are at stake. The voice of the GA has been ignored too long,&quot; he said in a tweet.

&quot;This time a nominee of a Permanent member of the SC has failed to get an absolute majority of the GA, for the first time in a direct contest to a major @UN organ. GA vote has turned into a protest against an unwarranted extension of privilege for 70+ years. P5 lost by 40votes!&quot; he said.

Tharoor said the election is no longer about the judge or the country he hails from, but about the General Assembly standing up against a member of a privileged club who has lost comprehensively among the Members at large but still leads 9-6 in the Security Council &quot;UK trying to stall the will of the majority of the GA,&quot; he charged.

&quot;Deeply entrenched interests of a tiny select group cannot be allowed to prevail in areas where such privileges are not based in law. Judges to the World Court must represent the majority of the UN membership. The cozy Permanent Members club at the SC cannot keep getting its way,&quot; he charged.

Decisions at the UN, he said, must reflect the voice of? the majority of Members and cannot continue to be decided by a few states with long-held privileges.

&quot;Only that kind of multilateralism will inspire confidence among the international community, especially the younger generation,&quot; he said.

Noting that this is not about India or any single country, he said this is about the idea of justice, of equality and fairness.

&quot;It is about the future we envisage for the United Nations and the conduct of multilateralism. The time for reform is now. I call on SC members to vote for India&#39;s candidate,? he said.

&quot;Aside from these points of principle, India has always shouldered collective responsibilities with our partners in our quest for a more just global order, Our ethos also leads us towards genuine and constructive rule-based multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes. Vote4 India!? Tharoor said.

Dalveer Bhandari from India and Christopher Greenwood from the UK are seeking re-election at the Hague-based International Court of Justice

The battle for a seat in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between India and Britain has run into a stalemate, even as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the "UK of trying to stall the will of the majority of the UN General Assembly". Dalveer Bhandari from India and Christopher Greenwood from the UK are seeking re-election at the Hague-based International Court of Justice. One-third of its 15-member bench are elected every three years for a nine-year term, elections for which are held separately but simultaneously in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council in New York. Last Thursday, four of the six candidates in the fray were elected as per the UN laws, got absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council. Ronny Abraham of France, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf of Somalia, Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade of Brazil and Nawaf Salam of Lebanon were elected after four rounds of elections on Thursday. Yesterday, the UN General Assembly and the Security Council met separately to elect the remaining one candidate for the ICJ. In each of the five rounds of elections, Greenwood of Britain received nine votes and Bhandari got five in the UN Security Council. Given that Britain is a Permanent member of the Security Council, Greenwood has an advantage over Bhandari. Bhandari received an absolute majority in the General Assembly elections in all the five rounds. In fact, he increased his vote tally from Thursday's 115 to 121 votes in the General Assembly elections yesterday against the absolute majority number of 97. The vote tally of Greenwood dropped from 76 to 68 on Monday. With the two countries in a deadlock over the one remaining ICJ seat, both the General Assembly and Security Council announced to adjourn the meeting for the election to be convened at a later date. Ahead of the yesterday's voting, Congress leader and former top UN official Tharoor said that the "voice of the General Assembly" has been ignored for too long. "As the UN Security Council (SC) & General Assembly (GA) vote to choose a judge for the International Court Of Justice (#ICJ) between Indian & UK candidates, the legitimacy & effectiveness of the UN are at stake. The voice of the GA has been ignored too long," he said in a tweet. "This time a nominee of a Permanent member of the SC has failed to get an absolute majority of the GA, for the first time in a direct contest to a major @UN organ. GA vote has turned into a protest against an unwarranted extension of privilege for 70+ years. P5 lost by 40votes!" he said. Tharoor said the election is no longer about the judge or the country he hails from, but about the General Assembly standing up against a member of a privileged club who has lost comprehensively among the Members at large but still leads 9-6 in the Security Council "UK trying to stall the will of the majority of the GA," he charged. "Deeply entrenched interests of a tiny select group cannot be allowed to prevail in areas where such privileges are not based in law. Judges to the World Court must represent the majority of the UN membership. The cozy Permanent Members club at the SC cannot keep getting its way," he charged. Decisions at the UN, he said, must reflect the voice of? the majority of Members and cannot continue to be decided by a few states with long-held privileges. "Only that kind of multilateralism will inspire confidence among the international community, especially the younger generation," he said. Noting that this is not about India or any single country, he said this is about the idea of justice, of equality and fairness. "It is about the future we envisage for the United Nations and the conduct of multilateralism. The time for reform is now. I call on SC members to vote for India's candidate,? he said. "Aside from these points of principle, India has always shouldered collective responsibilities with our partners in our quest for a more just global order, Our ethos also leads us towards genuine and constructive rule-based multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes. Vote4 India!? Tharoor said.

UN-ICJ-ELECTION- India, UK battle for ICJ seat run into stalemate

Priti Patel&rsquo;s ignominious departure from the UK cabinet after it emerged that she had held undeclared meetings with Israeli officials during a personal holiday exposes many flaws in her conduct. The commentariat tells us she showed a lack of judgement, a lack of awareness of due process and a willingness to conduct what, in effect, was her own foreign policy.

One word that hasn&rsquo;t come up so frequently is &ldquo;corruption&rdquo;. That&rsquo;s in many ways understandable. Corruption is generally understood in transactional terms with four key parts. An act is understood as corrupt if there is a (i) deliberate attempt (ii) to abuse (iii) entrusted power (iv) for some sort of private gain. Corruption is normally regarded as a process rather than an outcome and acts that tick all of those boxes are subsequently judged as such. That all of those terms can and do require some sort of external judgement to be made ensures that we can&rsquo;t talk about objective realities. We do, however, have a decent starting point for making sense of a complex world.

This understanding of corruption is, however, relatively new. Indeed, it&rsquo;s only in the past few decades that corruption has been understood in this form. Yet corruption has, of course, been around for as long as humans have sought to organise themselves. Aristotle, for example, argued corruption is a symbol of the dysfunctionality of states that have moved away from their &ldquo;pure&rdquo; state of being. For Aristotle and a number of his contemporaries, corruption has a clear moral dimension and that moral core is the very essence of corruption, leading inevitably to decay, degradation and ultimately state failure.

Why Rome fell

A similar logic has been used by historians such as Ramsay McMullen when they argue that the ever-deepening problem of corruption is the primary reason the Roman Empire fell.

MacMullen&rsquo;s thesis is straightforward and well documented: Corruption led successive governments to concentrate more on the need to generate private gains (of whatever sort) for themselves and their supporters, and less on the demands of running a large and complex empire. The moral core that characterised much of the thinking of Rome&rsquo;s founders had withered away over time; subsequent Roman leaders not only lost control of the government, but the government lost sight of what it existed to do. Even when it became apparent that corruption was at the core of the administration&rsquo;s work, attempts at reform came too late. Like cancer, corruption had penetrated too many parts of the public ethos.

The fall of Rome was also pivotal in Montesquieu&rsquo;s thinking on corruption (and state failure). He explained in detail how the virtuous thinking of Rome&rsquo;s founders helped it become an empire, but how the corruption of Rome&rsquo;s moral fibre ultimately brought the empire down. For Montesquieu and MacMullen, as well as many others, corruption was at the very core of Rome&rsquo;s descent into dissolution.

A question of morals

Corruption, no matter how it is defined, certainly has a moral dimension to it. That remains so regardless of the fact that many would prefer to couch their analysis, and, indeed, their prescriptions, in the language of rationality, interests, costs and benefits.

Much of the recent work on corruption &ndash; produced largely by those with the economist&rsquo;s mindset &ndash; has purposefully avoided the moral minefield and instead aspired to embrace some sort of objective understanding of corruption. That&rsquo;s ultimately unlikely to be a fruitful way forward in terms of actually fighting corruption in practice; morals drive understandings of what&rsquo;s appropriate and ignoring them doesn&rsquo;t mean that they simply go away.

Bringing issues of morality back into our analysis subsequently helps us comprehend much more about what we understand corruption to be as well as how (and, indeed, whether) we go about tackling it. The moral dimension to the corruption challenge, therefore, cannot be an optional extra.

It&rsquo;s with that in mind that the behaviour of Priti Patel is so interesting. There is little evidence to suggest that she might be guilty of corruption in the modern understanding of the term, but she certainly did do things that corruption analysts of yesteryear would recognise as falling into that category. At a push, one could certainly argue she broke the ministerial code and that&rsquo;s clearly a process violation. But it is really by looking at broader normative issues of what&rsquo;s right, why it&rsquo;s right and how we can recognise it as such do we really see why behaviour such as Patel&rsquo;s can be so corrosive.

Rome ultimately didn&rsquo;t fall because of the specific acts of one person. Rome&rsquo;s problems escalated over time as the moral core that characterised the thinking of Rome&rsquo;s founders ceased to shape their decision-making. Theresa May is hardly Romulus Augustus, but a government that neglects the importance of moral leadership is in dangerous waters. If nothing else, Priti Patel&rsquo;s resignation should give us reason to ponder the ramifications of that.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/priti-patel-ancient-rome-and-moral-leadership-87206" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

Prime Minister Theresa May could not have ignored the moral implication of Priti Patel's act

Priti Patel’s ignominious departure from the UK cabinet after it emerged that she had held undeclared meetings with Israeli officials during a personal holiday exposes many flaws in her conduct. The commentariat tells us she showed a lack of judgement, a lack of awareness of due process and a willingness to conduct what, in effect, was her own foreign policy. One word that hasn’t come up so frequently is “corruption”. That’s in many ways understandable. Corruption is generally understood in transactional terms with four key parts. An act is understood as corrupt if there is a (i) deliberate attempt (ii) to abuse (iii) entrusted power (iv) for some sort of private gain. Corruption is normally regarded as a process rather than an outcome and acts that tick all of those boxes are subsequently judged as such. That all of those terms can and do require some sort of external judgement to be made ensures that we can’t talk about objective realities. We do, however, have a decent starting point for making sense of a complex world. This understanding of corruption is, however, relatively new. Indeed, it’s only in the past few decades that corruption has been understood in this form. Yet corruption has, of course, been around for as long as humans have sought to organise themselves. Aristotle, for example, argued corruption is a symbol of the dysfunctionality of states that have moved away from their “pure” state of being. For Aristotle and a number of his contemporaries, corruption has a clear moral dimension and that moral core is the very essence of corruption, leading inevitably to decay, degradation and ultimately state failure. Why Rome fell A similar logic has been used by historians such as Ramsay McMullen when they argue that the ever-deepening problem of corruption is the primary reason the Roman Empire fell. MacMullen’s thesis is straightforward and well documented: Corruption led successive governments to concentrate more on the need to generate private gains (of whatever sort) for themselves and their supporters, and less on the demands of running a large and complex empire. The moral core that characterised much of the thinking of Rome’s founders had withered away over time; subsequent Roman leaders not only lost control of the government, but the government lost sight of what it existed to do. Even when it became apparent that corruption was at the core of the administration’s work, attempts at reform came too late. Like cancer, corruption had penetrated too many parts of the public ethos. The fall of Rome was also pivotal in Montesquieu’s thinking on corruption (and state failure). He explained in detail how the virtuous thinking of Rome’s founders helped it become an empire, but how the corruption of Rome’s moral fibre ultimately brought the empire down. For Montesquieu and MacMullen, as well as many others, corruption was at the very core of Rome’s descent into dissolution. A question of morals Corruption, no matter how it is defined, certainly has a moral dimension to it. That remains so regardless of the fact that many would prefer to couch their analysis, and, indeed, their prescriptions, in the language of rationality, interests, costs and benefits. Much of the recent work on corruption – produced largely by those with the economist’s mindset – has purposefully avoided the moral minefield and instead aspired to embrace some sort of objective understanding of corruption. That’s ultimately unlikely to be a fruitful way forward in terms of actually fighting corruption in practice; morals drive understandings of what’s appropriate and ignoring them doesn’t mean that they simply go away. Bringing issues of morality back into our analysis subsequently helps us comprehend much more about what we understand corruption to be as well as how (and, indeed, whether) we go about tackling it. The moral dimension to the corruption challenge, therefore, cannot be an optional extra. It’s with that in mind that the behaviour of Priti Patel is so interesting. There is little evidence to suggest that she might be guilty of corruption in the modern understanding of the term, but she certainly did do things that corruption analysts of yesteryear would recognise as falling into that category. At a push, one could certainly argue she broke the ministerial code and that’s clearly a process violation. But it is really by looking at broader normative issues of what’s right, why it’s right and how we can recognise it as such do we really see why behaviour such as Patel’s can be so corrosive. Rome ultimately didn’t fall because of the specific acts of one person. Rome’s problems escalated over time as the moral core that characterised the thinking of Rome’s founders ceased to shape their decision-making. Theresa May is hardly Romulus Augustus, but a government that neglects the importance of moral leadership is in dangerous waters. If nothing else, Priti Patel’s resignation should give us reason to ponder the ramifications of that. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why Theresa May asked Priti Patel to quit

A Pakistan defence expert has suggested that the country should consider creating gangs of terrorists and separatists to dismember the United Kingdom and Switzerland for allowing the flagging of &#39; Free Balochistan &#39; posters.

&quot;In retaliation, Should Pakistan also create terrorist/separatist gangs in Pakistan who should work to destroy/dismember UK &amp; Switzerland? (sic),&quot; Zaid Hamid, a Pakistani political commentator and defence expert, said in a tweet.

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In retaliation, Should Pakistan also create terrorist/separatist gangs in Pakistan who should work to destroy/dismember UK &amp; Switzerland ? <a href="https://t.co/yEy0BHPHw0">pic.twitter.com/yEy0BHPHw0</a>
&mdash; Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid/status/926765107962527745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He alleged that the UK was hosting the biggest terror network against Pakistan.

&quot;UK is hosting the biggest terror network operating against Pakistan. Altaf Hussain is a British citizen &amp; mass murderer under UK protection,&quot; Hamid tweeted.

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UK is hosting the biggest terror network operating against Pakistan. Altaf Hussain is a British citizen &amp; mass murderer under UK protection
&mdash; Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid/status/926767535147515905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Hamid&#39;s reaction came after London taxis with the words &#39; Free Balochistan &#39; written on both sides were seen plying outside Buckingham Palace in what can be called as a new push by overseas Baloch groups to attract global attention to their cause for independence from Pakistan.

&#39;Free Balochistan&#39; posters embossed on several vehicles running on the road were seen in London this week to highlight human rights violations in Balochistan province.

Pakistan on Friday summoned British High Commissioner Thomas Drew over the emergence of &#39;Free Balochistan&#39; posters, which it said directly attacked its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

A Baloch activist said that Pakistan&#39;s reaction over the posters is a testimony to its suppressive nature, and its aggression to try to curb their rights in the UK.

&quot;Pakistan&#39;s reaction is a testimony to its suppressive nature, aggressively trying to curb our rights in the UK, imagine the situation in Balochistan,&quot; Bhawal Mengal? said in a tweet.

Earlier, similar posters featuring &#39;Free Balochistan&#39; had appeared in Geneva, including on the side of buses, demanding freedom for the separatist Balochistan region of south-west Pakistan.

Pakistan had at that time also summoned Switzerland&#39;s envoy over the display of such posters in Geneva.

The World Baloch Organisation (WBO) had organised a protest in September in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to raise awareness of human rights violations in Balochistan.

Human rights activists, Baloch representatives and allies of the Baloch cause came together during the 36th Session of the UNHRC to protest against gross human rights violations inflicted upon indigenous Baloch people.

For decades in Balochistan, economic exploitation through the plundering of natural resources, and the systematic economic, social and political exclusion of indigenous Baloch people, has become the norm.

In addition to this, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression are used as covert tools to brutally repress the Baloch peaceful struggle for justice, rights, and equality.

Since the construction of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)has begun, the Baloch have been forcefully cleared, enforcedly disappeared and effectively excluded from the project at all levels - despite plentiful promises made by the Pakistani authorities of development and employment.&nbsp;

A Pakistan defence expert has suggested that the country should consider creating gangs of terrorists and separatists to dismember the United Kingdom and Switzerland for allowing the flagging of ' Free Balochistan ' posters.

A Pakistan defence expert has suggested that the country should consider creating gangs of terrorists and separatists to dismember the United Kingdom and Switzerland for allowing the flagging of ' Free Balochistan ' posters. "In retaliation, Should Pakistan also create terrorist/separatist gangs in Pakistan who should work to destroy/dismember UK & Switzerland? (sic)," Zaid Hamid, a Pakistani political commentator and defence expert, said in a tweet. In retaliation, Should Pakistan also create terrorist/separatist gangs in Pakistan who should work to destroy/dismember UK & Switzerland ? pic.twitter.com/yEy0BHPHw0 — Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) November 4, 2017 × He alleged that the UK was hosting the biggest terror network against Pakistan. "UK is hosting the biggest terror network operating against Pakistan. Altaf Hussain is a British citizen & mass murderer under UK protection," Hamid tweeted. UK is hosting the biggest terror network operating against Pakistan. Altaf Hussain is a British citizen & mass murderer under UK protection — Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) November 4, 2017 × Hamid's reaction came after London taxis with the words ' Free Balochistan ' written on both sides were seen plying outside Buckingham Palace in what can be called as a new push by overseas Baloch groups to attract global attention to their cause for independence from Pakistan. 'Free Balochistan' posters embossed on several vehicles running on the road were seen in London this week to highlight human rights violations in Balochistan province. Pakistan on Friday summoned British High Commissioner Thomas Drew over the emergence of 'Free Balochistan' posters, which it said directly attacked its territorial integrity and sovereignty. A Baloch activist said that Pakistan's reaction over the posters is a testimony to its suppressive nature, and its aggression to try to curb their rights in the UK. "Pakistan's reaction is a testimony to its suppressive nature, aggressively trying to curb our rights in the UK, imagine the situation in Balochistan," Bhawal Mengal? said in a tweet. Earlier, similar posters featuring 'Free Balochistan' had appeared in Geneva, including on the side of buses, demanding freedom for the separatist Balochistan region of south-west Pakistan. Pakistan had at that time also summoned Switzerland's envoy over the display of such posters in Geneva. The World Baloch Organisation (WBO) had organised a protest in September in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to raise awareness of human rights violations in Balochistan. Human rights activists, Baloch representatives and allies of the Baloch cause came together during the 36th Session of the UNHRC to protest against gross human rights violations inflicted upon indigenous Baloch people. For decades in Balochistan, economic exploitation through the plundering of natural resources, and the systematic economic, social and political exclusion of indigenous Baloch people, has become the norm. In addition to this, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression are used as covert tools to brutally repress the Baloch peaceful struggle for justice, rights, and equality. Since the construction of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)has begun, the Baloch have been forcefully cleared, enforcedly disappeared and effectively excluded from the project at all levels - despite plentiful promises made by the Pakistani authorities of development and employment.

Will destroy UK, Switzerland over emergence of 'Free Balochistan' posters: Pakistan defence  expert

Gavin Williamson, a close aide of Prime Minister Theresa May, was today appointed as Britain&#39;s new defence secretary after his predecessor Michael Fellon resigned amid a deepening sexual harassment scandal engulfing UK parliamentarians. 
 
Fallon,65, resigned as defence secretary saying his conduct may have fallen below the high standards expected amid revelations that he had made unwanted advances towards a journalist years ago. 
 
He was replaced by 41-year-old Williamson, the MP for South Staffordshire, who has been responsible for exerting discipline over the prime minister&#39;s fractious parliamentary party since last year. 
 
Williamson was closely involved in negotiating the confidence and supply deal with the Democratic Unionist party that secured the parliamentary support May needed to govern in the aftermath of June&#39;s general election. 
 
&quot;A number of allegations have surfaced about MPs in recent days, including some about my previous conduct. Many of these have been false, but I accept in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that I have the honour to represent,&quot; Fallon said in his resignation letter to May. 
 
It remains unclear if it was the particular revelation of Fallon repeatedly placing his hand on the knee of journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer that triggered his decision to step down or there were other incidents involving an abuse of power that may have precipitated his departure. 
 
Hartley-Brewer, at the centre of the allegations that came to light earlier this week, has stressed that she did not see herself as a victim and that the incident had not &quot;remotely upset or distressed&quot; anyone. 
 
&quot;If this is over kneegate, him touching my knee 15 years ago and me not having any issue with it today, this is the most insane, absurd and ridiculous resignation of a Cabinet minister ever,&quot; she said. 
 
The British Prime Minister in her response to Fallon&#39;s resignation letter praised his &quot;diligent service&quot; and welcomed the &quot;particular example you wish to set to servicemen and women and others&quot;. 
 
Fallon, described as a Conservative party heavyweight and even tipped as a future Prime Minister, becomes the first victim of a deepening scandal over sexual misconduct in the corridors of political power in the UK. 
 
Williamson has been running the Tory whips&#39; office since being appointed chief whip by Theresa May in 2016. He has been replaced by Julian Smith, Tory MP for Skipton and Ripon, as chief whip of the Conservative party. 
 
While May moved quickly to appoint a new defence minister without the need for a very wide reshuffle, the position of another of her senior ministers, First Secretary of State Damian Green, remains precarious after disclosures by an academic and Conservative party activist Kate Maltby. 
 
He has categorically denied making unwanted sexual advances towards Maltby but remains under investigation by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood on the orders of May. 
 
There are growing fears that Fallon&#39;s surprise resignation could trigger a freefall within government ranks and lead to more shake-ups. 
 
&quot;Parliament now has to look at itself and the Prime Minister has made very clear that conduct needs to be improved and we need to protect the staff of Westminster against any particular allegations of harassment,&quot; Fallon said soon after his resignation. 
 
His name had appeared on an unverified list of sexual misconduct, a so-called dirty dossier, circulating in Westminster. 
 
It has attracted a mixed response because it implicates MPs who have had consensual affairs with colleagues in the same space as more serious accusations of sexual abuse. 
 
The Prime Minister is struggling to contain the crisis and opened parliamentary proceedings yesterday with a statement on the issue, stressing that she had been holding a series of meetings to set up a &quot;common, transparent, independent&quot; grievance procedure. 
 
Indian-origin Opposition Labour MP Lisa Nandy challenged her in the House of Commons over her failure to act over sexual abuse cover-up she had informed her about three years ago when May was the UK home secretary. 
 
&quot;On three occasions, I asked her [Theresa May] to act and on three occasions she did not,&quot; Nandy claimed. 
 
May assured the House that she was determined to take firm action and is set to hold a meeting with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn early next week to address the issue across party lines. 
 
She has reportedly read the &quot;riot act&quot; to her Cabinet, warning them to ensure exemplary behaviour.

Gavin Williamson, a close aide of Prime Minister Theresa May, was today appointed as Britain's new defence secretary after his predecessor Michael Fellon resigned amid a deepening sexual harassment scandal engulfing UK parliamentarians.

Gavin Williamson, a close aide of Prime Minister Theresa May, was today appointed as Britain's new defence secretary after his predecessor Michael Fellon resigned amid a deepening sexual harassment scandal engulfing UK parliamentarians. Fallon,65, resigned as defence secretary saying his conduct may have fallen below the high standards expected amid revelations that he had made unwanted advances towards a journalist years ago. He was replaced by 41-year-old Williamson, the MP for South Staffordshire, who has been responsible for exerting discipline over the prime minister's fractious parliamentary party since last year. Williamson was closely involved in negotiating the confidence and supply deal with the Democratic Unionist party that secured the parliamentary support May needed to govern in the aftermath of June's general election. "A number of allegations have surfaced about MPs in recent days, including some about my previous conduct. Many of these have been false, but I accept in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that I have the honour to represent," Fallon said in his resignation letter to May. It remains unclear if it was the particular revelation of Fallon repeatedly placing his hand on the knee of journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer that triggered his decision to step down or there were other incidents involving an abuse of power that may have precipitated his departure. Hartley-Brewer, at the centre of the allegations that came to light earlier this week, has stressed that she did not see herself as a victim and that the incident had not "remotely upset or distressed" anyone. "If this is over kneegate, him touching my knee 15 years ago and me not having any issue with it today, this is the most insane, absurd and ridiculous resignation of a Cabinet minister ever," she said. The British Prime Minister in her response to Fallon's resignation letter praised his "diligent service" and welcomed the "particular example you wish to set to servicemen and women and others". Fallon, described as a Conservative party heavyweight and even tipped as a future Prime Minister, becomes the first victim of a deepening scandal over sexual misconduct in the corridors of political power in the UK. Williamson has been running the Tory whips' office since being appointed chief whip by Theresa May in 2016. He has been replaced by Julian Smith, Tory MP for Skipton and Ripon, as chief whip of the Conservative party. While May moved quickly to appoint a new defence minister without the need for a very wide reshuffle, the position of another of her senior ministers, First Secretary of State Damian Green, remains precarious after disclosures by an academic and Conservative party activist Kate Maltby. He has categorically denied making unwanted sexual advances towards Maltby but remains under investigation by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood on the orders of May. There are growing fears that Fallon's surprise resignation could trigger a freefall within government ranks and lead to more shake-ups. "Parliament now has to look at itself and the Prime Minister has made very clear that conduct needs to be improved and we need to protect the staff of Westminster against any particular allegations of harassment," Fallon said soon after his resignation. His name had appeared on an unverified list of sexual misconduct, a so-called dirty dossier, circulating in Westminster. It has attracted a mixed response because it implicates MPs who have had consensual affairs with colleagues in the same space as more serious accusations of sexual abuse. The Prime Minister is struggling to contain the crisis and opened parliamentary proceedings yesterday with a statement on the issue, stressing that she had been holding a series of meetings to set up a "common, transparent, independent" grievance procedure. Indian-origin Opposition Labour MP Lisa Nandy challenged her in the House of Commons over her failure to act over sexual abuse cover-up she had informed her about three years ago when May was the UK home secretary. "On three occasions, I asked her [Theresa May] to act and on three occasions she did not," Nandy claimed. May assured the House that she was determined to take firm action and is set to hold a meeting with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn early next week to address the issue across party lines. She has reportedly read the "riot act" to her Cabinet, warning them to ensure exemplary behaviour.

UK PM replaces defence secy amid sexual harassment scandal

Thailand has revoked the passports of ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who has yet to publicly emerge since she slipped out of the country two months ago ahead of judgment day in her negligence trial, officials said Tuesday.

The former prime minister, whose elected government was toppled in a 2014 coup, was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia last month for failing to stop graft in a rice policy.

The verdict, which closed the curtain on her political career, was lambasted by Yingluck`s supporters as a junta-backed effort to boot her out of Thai politics for good.

&quot;All of Yingluck`s passports have been revoked now,&quot; Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday.

&quot;We don`t know of her whereabouts, only reports that she is in the United Kingdom but not exactly which city,&quot; he added.

Yingluck had four Thai passports two personal and two diplomatic, authorities said.

Thailand`s deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said authorities are still working to confirm the former premier`s location as they seek her extradition.

&quot;But no country has replied and said they have seen Ms. Yingluck,&quot; he said.

Yingluck, whose once-active social media accounts have gone silent since she fled, is only the latest from her powerful political family to fall victim to Thailand`s coup-prone military and courts.

The Shinawatras are wildly popular in Thailand`s rural heartlands, where voters have helped them dominate elections for the past decade.But they are loathed by Bangkok`s traditional army-allied elite, who have branded them as corrupt opportunists and repeatedly cut down their governments with coups, court rulings, and protests.&nbsp;

Yingluck`s elder brother Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, has been living in self-exile for years to avoid a graft conviction.&nbsp;

The ruling junta has vowed to hold elections in November 2018, though previous dates have been postponed.

Even if polls are held, they will not restore the same level of democracy the kingdom enjoyed before the coup.&nbsp;

Under the junta`s new charter elected politicians will be straight-jacketed by an appointed Upper House and requirements to stick to a 20-year master plan.

Thailand has revoked the passports of ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who has yet to publicly emerge since she slipped out of the country two months ago ahead of judgment day in her negligence trial. The former PM was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia last month for failing to stop.

Thailand has revoked the passports of ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who has yet to publicly emerge since she slipped out of the country two months ago ahead of judgment day in her negligence trial, officials said Tuesday. The former prime minister, whose elected government was toppled in a 2014 coup, was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia last month for failing to stop graft in a rice policy. The verdict, which closed the curtain on her political career, was lambasted by Yingluck`s supporters as a junta-backed effort to boot her out of Thai politics for good. "All of Yingluck`s passports have been revoked now," Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday. "We don`t know of her whereabouts, only reports that she is in the United Kingdom but not exactly which city," he added. Yingluck had four Thai passports two personal and two diplomatic, authorities said. Thailand`s deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said authorities are still working to confirm the former premier`s location as they seek her extradition. "But no country has replied and said they have seen Ms. Yingluck," he said. Yingluck, whose once-active social media accounts have gone silent since she fled, is only the latest from her powerful political family to fall victim to Thailand`s coup-prone military and courts. The Shinawatras are wildly popular in Thailand`s rural heartlands, where voters have helped them dominate elections for the past decade.But they are loathed by Bangkok`s traditional army-allied elite, who have branded them as corrupt opportunists and repeatedly cut down their governments with coups, court rulings, and protests. Yingluck`s elder brother Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, has been living in self-exile for years to avoid a graft conviction. The ruling junta has vowed to hold elections in November 2018, though previous dates have been postponed. Even if polls are held, they will not restore the same level of democracy the kingdom enjoyed before the coup. Under the junta`s new charter elected politicians will be straight-jacketed by an appointed Upper House and requirements to stick to a 20-year master plan.

Thailand revokes passports of exiled former PM Yingluck

According to the latest report released by Britain&#39;s &quot;Race Disparity Audit&quot;,&nbsp;Indian origin population in the UK&nbsp;is among the most highly skilled compared to the&nbsp;other ethnic minorities.

&nbsp;

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Data showing the percentage of students going into education or employment by ethnicity. (Source: Ethnicity facts and figures, UK Government) (Others)
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The audit reveals Indian origin students showed high-performance rates compared to other communities.&nbsp;

It stated, &quot;...over one in 10(Indian origin) were in manager, director and senior official roles and over three in 10 were in professional occupations,&rdquo;.

It also added that Indian students were much more likely to meet the requirements of entering to Universities, than Pakistani pupils.&nbsp;

The audit reveals the race disparity suffered by blacks and minorities from Pakistan and Bangladesh in UK workplaces and educational institutes&nbsp;

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Data showing the percentage of overall absence from school by ethnicity. (Source: Ethnicity facts and figures, UK Government) (Others)
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The survey highlighted unemployment and huge disparity existed&nbsp;in ownership of houses in the country.&nbsp;

The figures from the audit were&nbsp;released on www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk.&nbsp;

Commissioned by the British prime minister Theresa May, the audit is an attempt to deal with racial discrimination within the country&#39;s public services.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to a latest released report 'Race Disparity Audit' Indian origin population in Britain is among the highly skilled compared to the country's other ethnic minority categories

According to the latest report released by Britain's "Race Disparity Audit", Indian origin population in the UK is among the most highly skilled compared to the other ethnic minorities. Data showing the percentage of students going into education or employment by ethnicity. (Source: Ethnicity facts and figures, UK Government) (Others) × The audit reveals Indian origin students showed high-performance rates compared to other communities. It stated, "...over one in 10(Indian origin) were in manager, director and senior official roles and over three in 10 were in professional occupations,”. It also added that Indian students were much more likely to meet the requirements of entering to Universities, than Pakistani pupils. The audit reveals the race disparity suffered by blacks and minorities from Pakistan and Bangladesh in UK workplaces and educational institutes Data showing the percentage of overall absence from school by ethnicity. (Source: Ethnicity facts and figures, UK Government) (Others) × The survey highlighted unemployment and huge disparity existed in ownership of houses in the country. The figures from the audit were released on www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk. Commissioned by the British prime minister Theresa May, the audit is an attempt to deal with racial discrimination within the country's public services.

Watch: Indian origin managers are 'highly skilled', says UK survey

Britain&#39;s&nbsp;foreign minister&nbsp;Boris&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;was&nbsp;accused&nbsp;by cabinet colleagues on Sunday of &quot;backseat driving&quot; on&nbsp;Brexit&nbsp;after setting out his own vision of the country&#39;s future outside the European Union.

Only days before Prime Minister Theresa May is due to speak in Italy about&nbsp;Britain&#39;s&nbsp;planned EU departure,&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;on Saturday published a 4,300-word newspaper article that roamed well beyond his ministerial brief and, in some cases, the approach set out by the government.

Interior minister Amber Rudd said it was &quot;absolutely fine&quot; for the foreign secretary to intervene publicly but that she did not want him managing the&nbsp;Brexit&nbsp;process.

&quot;What we&#39;ve got is Theresa May managing that process, she&#39;s driving the car,&quot; Rudd told the BBC&#39;s Andrew Marr on Sunday.

Asked if&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;was backseat driving, she replied: &quot;Yes, you could call it backseat driving, absolutely.&quot;

Johnson&#39;s article re-ignited speculation that he would challenge May for the leadership of the Conservative Party.

Rudd, however, said she did not think&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;was laying the groundwork to challenge May.

&quot;I think that he, like I, supports the prime minister at this difficult time as we try to conclude the negotiations with the EU,&quot; she said.

May&#39;s deputy, Damian Green, also weighed in, saying that&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;had written a &quot;very exuberant&quot; article but it was &quot;absolutely clear to everyone that the driver of the car in this instance is the prime minister&quot;.

&quot;It is the job of the rest of us in the cabinet to agree on a set of proposals and get behind those proposals and get behind the prime minister,&quot; Green told BBC TV.

&#39;MISUSE OF STATISTICS&#39;

Johnson&nbsp;wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Britain would not pay to access the EU market in the future. Once out of the EU, the country should borrow to invest in infrastructure, reform the tax code and set immigration levels as it sees fit, he said.

Johnson&nbsp;also repeated the&nbsp;Brexit&nbsp;campaign claim that the government would be 350 million pounds ($476 million) a week better off outside the EU.

Government officials criticised&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;for repeating the claim, saying the figure does not take into account the funding Britain receives back from Brussels.

David Norgrove, of the UK Statistics Authority, said he was &quot;surprised and disappointed&quot; thatJohnson&nbsp;was still quoting a figure that confused gross and net contributions.

&quot;It is a clear misuse of official statistics,&quot; Norgrove said in a letter to&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;on Sunday.

Johnson&nbsp;said in reply that Norgrove&#39;s letter was &quot;based on what appeared to be a wilful distortion of the text of my article&quot; and asked the official to withdraw it.

The timing of&nbsp;Johnson&#39;s article -- published a day after a bomb injured 30 people on a train in London -- also drew criticism from some colleagues.

Reacting to the furore his article had generated,&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;tweeted on Saturday: &quot;Looking forward to PM&#39;s Florence Speech. All behind Theresa for a glorious&nbsp;Brexit.&quot;

Only days before Prime Minister Theresa May is due to speak in Italy about?Britain's?planned EU departure,?Johnson?on Saturday published a 4,300-word newspaper article that roamed well beyond his ministerial brief and, in some cases, the approach set out by the government.

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson was accused by cabinet colleagues on Sunday of "backseat driving" on Brexit after setting out his own vision of the country's future outside the European Union. Only days before Prime Minister Theresa May is due to speak in Italy about Britain's planned EU departure, Johnson on Saturday published a 4,300-word newspaper article that roamed well beyond his ministerial brief and, in some cases, the approach set out by the government. Interior minister Amber Rudd said it was "absolutely fine" for the foreign secretary to intervene publicly but that she did not want him managing the Brexit process. "What we've got is Theresa May managing that process, she's driving the car," Rudd told the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday. Asked if Johnson was backseat driving, she replied: "Yes, you could call it backseat driving, absolutely." Johnson's article re-ignited speculation that he would challenge May for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Rudd, however, said she did not think Johnson was laying the groundwork to challenge May. "I think that he, like I, supports the prime minister at this difficult time as we try to conclude the negotiations with the EU," she said. May's deputy, Damian Green, also weighed in, saying that Johnson had written a "very exuberant" article but it was "absolutely clear to everyone that the driver of the car in this instance is the prime minister". "It is the job of the rest of us in the cabinet to agree on a set of proposals and get behind those proposals and get behind the prime minister," Green told BBC TV. 'MISUSE OF STATISTICS' Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Britain would not pay to access the EU market in the future. Once out of the EU, the country should borrow to invest in infrastructure, reform the tax code and set immigration levels as it sees fit, he said. Johnson also repeated the Brexit campaign claim that the government would be 350 million pounds ($476 million) a week better off outside the EU. Government officials criticised Johnson for repeating the claim, saying the figure does not take into account the funding Britain receives back from Brussels. David Norgrove, of the UK Statistics Authority, said he was "surprised and disappointed" thatJohnson was still quoting a figure that confused gross and net contributions. "It is a clear misuse of official statistics," Norgrove said in a letter to Johnson on Sunday. Johnson said in reply that Norgrove's letter was "based on what appeared to be a wilful distortion of the text of my article" and asked the official to withdraw it. The timing of Johnson's article -- published a day after a bomb injured 30 people on a train in London -- also drew criticism from some colleagues. Reacting to the furore his article had generated, Johnson tweeted on Saturday: "Looking forward to PM's Florence Speech. All behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit."

Britain's Boris Johnson accused of Brexit 'backseat driving'

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