LIVE! KPs, Sikhs banished, who is threatening human rights, asks Jaitley

13:12  Justice Chelameshwar retires today :  Rajdeep Sardesai @sardesairajdeep tweets: Justice Chelameshwar retires from SC today; he and wife packed their bags, left their Govt bungalow at 5 am for his village. Bungalow handed over exactly as he got it 6 years go! How many netas would do this? Inspiring! Salute you sir! Not everyone is trapped in VVIP culture!

13:09  Kharge to head Maharashtra Congress :  Congress today appointed Mallikarjun Kharge as the Maharashtra Congress in-charge. Congress President Rahul Gandhi also appoints JD Seelam and Mahendra Joshi as the Secretary and Shashi Kant Sharma as the Joint Secretary, of the All India Congress Committee.

12:56  KPs, Sikhs banished, who is threatening human rights, asks Jaitley :  Arun Jaitley @arunjaitley on the escalating terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

“In the State of J&K, who is threatening the human rights of the citizens? The entire Kashmiri Pandit community has been banished from the State. Initially spared but after the Chittissinghpura Massacre in the year 2000, most of the Sikh community has moved out,” Jaitley tweeted.

The BJP government has maintained that a tough stance or as former J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti said, a muscular approach, was necessary to fight terrorism.

The elite National Security Guards, popularly known as ‘Black Cats’, are likely to be deployed soon in counter-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir which was placed under governor’s rule on Wednesday, officials said.

Today, Congress leader Saifuddin Soz said that former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf was right when he said Kashmiris prefer independence to joining Pakistan, reported ANI news agency.

“Musharraf said Kashmiris don’t want to merge with Pakistan, their first choice is independence. The statement was true then and remains true now also. I say the same, but I know that it is not possible,” said Soz to ANI.

12:39  Joy ride :  In Karnataka, JCB operator Chetan and his wife Mamata rode home sitting in the bucket of Chetan’s JCB vehicle after getting married on 18 June in Puttur’s Parpunja. Pic: ANI

12:36  Four terrorists gunned down in Anantnag encounter:  A total of 4 terrorists were gunned down by security forces in Anantnag’s Srigufwara area, says DGP SP Vaid.  Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Khiram in Srigufwara area of the south Kashmir district this morning after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into a gunfight after the militants fired upon the forces, who retaliated. He said clashes broke out near the encounter site as a group of youth started pelting stones on the forces who are engaged in the operation. Security forces used force on the protestors and several civilians have suffered injuries, the official said.

12:25  Ahmedabad bank collected highest amount of banned notes among DCCBs :  A district cooperative bank, Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADCB), netted the highest deposits among such banks of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that were abruptly demonetised on November 8, 2016, according to RTI replies received by a Mumbai activist.  Read the report here.

12:18  2 men thrashed in Gujarat on suspicion of being kidnappers:  Two people were allegedly thrashed on suspicion of being kidnappers in Gujarat’s Dwarka district.

Police said that an audio clip which claimed that 300 men running a child-lifting racket were on the loose went viral on WhatsApp few days ago. The gang is alleged to have abducted children belonging to the age group of five to six years.

“An investigation in the matter is underway,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police, Prashant Sumbe while talking to the media.

Earlier, in a similar incident, two men were lynched on suspicion of being child lifter in Assam’s Karbi Anglong on June 11. — ANI

12:07  Mobile Internet services blocked in three Kashmir districts:  Mobile Internet services were today snapped in three districts of Kashmir Valley, including the summer capital, as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. The services have been barred in Srinagar, Anantnag and Pulwama districts of the valley, a police official said.

He said the decision to suspend the services has been taken as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. An encounter is going on in Anantnag district in south Kashmir in which two militants, reportedly affiliated to Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir, have been killed. One of the militants is believed to be from Srinagar. — PTI

12:00  Anantnag encounter: Terrorists affiliated to IS killed :  
Two militants reportedly affiliated to the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) and a policeman were killed today while several civilians injured during an encounter between ultras and security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

“Encounter at Khiram Srigufara on, two terrorists down, firing still continues. Unfortunate we lost one colleague of J&K Police,’ Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid Tweeted.

In another tweet, the DGP said the militants were reportedly from the ISJK. “Terrorists reportedly affiliated to ISJK,’ Vaid said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Khiram in Srigufwara area of the south Kashmir district this morning after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into a gunfight after the militants fired upon the forces, who retaliated. The gunfight was going on when last reports came in, the official said.

He said clashes broke out near the encounter site as a group of youth started pelting stones on the forces who are engaged in the operation. Security forces used force on the protestors and several civilians have suffered injuries, the official said. Further details were awaited. — PTI

Image: Director General of Police S P Vaid.

11:47  Hero or War Criminal? Churchill in Retrospect:  “History,” Winston Churchill said, “will judge me kindly, because I intend to write it myself.’ He needn’t have bothered. Of the great mass murderers of the 20th century, he is the only one to have completely escaped the odium deservingly bestowed on his rivals Hitler and Stalin, to have been crowned with a Nobel Prize (for Literature, no less), and now even with an Oscar.”

Shashi Tharoor’s essay on the former British PM. Do read

11:09  Two new balls in ODIs is recipe for disaster: Tendulkar:   Concerned by a spate of run fests recently, Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has criticised the use of two new balls in ODIs, saying it is “a perfect recipe for disaster”.

Mostly a reticent commentator, Tendulkar shared his point of view after watching England batsmen go on a rampage against Australia in the last two ODIs.

“Having 2 new balls in one day cricket is a perfect recipe for disaster as each ball is not given the time to get old enough to reverse. We haven’t seen reverse swing, an integral part of the death overs, for a long time,” Tendulkar tweeted from his official handle.

England posted a world record 481 for 6 against Australia in the third ODI, bettering their own record of 444 vs Pakistan.

In the next ODI, England chased down a target of 312 inside 45 overs. Tendulkar’s view was endorsed by Pakistan’s legendary master of reverse swing Waqar Younis.

“Reason why we don’t produce many attacking fast bowlers..They all very defensive in their approach…always looking for change ups..totally agree with you @sachin_rt reverse swing is almost vanished,” Younis tweeted in response Tendulkar.

The ICC had introduced two new balls from two ends after amending it’s playing rules back in October 2011.

Interestingly, BCCI was one board that protested the move questioning the diminishing role of spinners due to this new rule tweak. However, ICC has stuck to it in its efforts to make the game batsman-friendly.

The logic given was the discolouration of the white ball during the end of the innings and batsmen not being able to sight it properly especially in the dusty sub-continental conditions under lights.

The current rule means that the white kookaburra is bowled for only 25 overs from one end. Therefore when the spinners, who are introduced in the middle overs, are handed the ball, they effectively bowl with a ball that is hardly 8 to 9 overs old. Even by the time, a spinner finishes his spell, the ball is still only 20 overs old. Therefore, unlike earlier era, the ball doesn’t get soft, which would make it difficult for the batsmen to hit through the line like they do nowadays at the back-end of the innings. The chance of reverse swing has decreased even further with the use of two new balls.
— PTI

10:47  ‘I was just ashamed to continue any longer in the BJD’:  Baijayant Panda, former Biju Janata Dal MP from Kendrapara, was openly critical of his party leadership in the past one year. So, the news that he had finally quit the party caused little surprise. Panda says the party has changed in the recent years as a new coterie has taken hold of its president Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha. Read the interview here.

10:40  Kate Spade’s heartbroken father dies ahead of her funeral:  The family of fashion designer Kate Spade says her father died on the eve of her funeral. The family released a statement saying he’d been unwell and was heartbroken over her suicide.

Spade will be laid to rest yesterday in her hometown Kansas City, Missouri.

The 55-year-old was found dead in her apartment in New York on June 5.

Her death was later ruled a suicide by hanging.

10:37  Boy jailed for refusing free vegetables to cops:  The Bihar government has ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter of a minor boy being jailed for three months for allegedly refusing to give free vegetables to policemen in Patna.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has directed a higher official to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within two days.

Meanwhile, the Bihar Police have also took note of the incident and assured an investigation into it.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj told ANI, “It’s a matter of investigation. We have no information of any such incident. So we will have to talk to his family. If anyone is found to be at fault, they won’t be spared.”

The 14-year-old was apprehended by policemen on March 19. While apprehending the boy, policemen refused to reply to the queries raised by his family.

The father of the boy, Sukhpal Singh said, “After looking for him at various police stations, we were told by the Patrakar Nagar police station that he has been arrested in connection with a motorcycle theft case. On the Aadhaar card the age of our son is 14 years but police have mentioned 18 years in FIR to register a case against him. It’s been three months and three days that he is in jail.”

According to the father, when they met the boy in jail, he alleged that the policemen were miffed with him as he had refused to give them vegetables for free. — ANI

10:29  Kashmir: Policeman injured in terrorist attack succumbs :  
Policeman HC Habibullah, who got injured during an attack on a police party by terrorists in Srinagar’s Karan Nagar last week, succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed the demise of Habibullah, who was undergoing treatment at SKIMS hospital in the state. Since a few days, the state has been witnessing a huge spurt in terror activity.

Recently, veteran journalist and editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by terrorists in Press Colony in Srinagar.

The same day, the bullet-ridden body of Rifleman Aurangzeb, who was abducted by terrorists from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, was recovered from Gusoo area.

On a related note, the Central Government earlier this week announced that there would be no extension of the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir.In this regard, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the security forces to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings.

Security operations were earlier suspended in the wake of the holy month of Ramzan. — ANI

09:50  Trump directs officials to keep illegal immigrant families together during the immigration process:  US President Donald Trump today said he has directed his administration to keep illegal immigrant families together during the immigration process, after he backed down on the controversial migrant family separations policy.

Trump also blamed Opposition Democrats for the current crisis on the US southern border, which he said is causing tremendous damage and destruction.

“I’m directing the Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to work together to keep illegal immigrant families together during the immigration process and to reunite these previously separated groups,” he told his Cabinet members during a White House Cabinet meeting.

He said the only real solution is for the Congress to close the “catch-and-release loopholes” that have fuelled the child smuggling industry, and advocated for an immigration bill.

“They don’t care about the children. They don’t care about the injury. They don’t care about the problems. All they do is they obstruct. We should be able to make an immigration bill that can really solve the problem, not just this. This is one aspect of it. This is one very important, but small, aspect of it,” he said.

President Trump urged Democratic lawmakers to come out with a legislative solution to the immigration process, which, he said, needs to be merit-based.

“My administration is also acting swiftly to address the illegal immigration crisis on the southern border. Loopholes in our immigration laws, all supported by extremist open-border Democrats and that’s what they are. They’re extremist, open-border Democrats,” he alleged.

These loopholes, he said, have led to massive child smuggling industry. “It’s exactly what it’s become. Human traffickers are making a fortune. It’s a disgrace,” he added. — PTI

09:27  Yoga has no religion, hope it can become a binding force for world: Modi:  

As millions around the world celebrated the fourth International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped that yoga can become a “binding force” for the world, asserting it has no religion and contributes to physical and mental well-being of individuals.

Modi made these remarks while inaugurating the ‘YO1 Luxury Nature Cure Centre’ in the Catskills area of New York state yesterday via video-link.

“The word yoga means to unite. Therefore, this surge of interest in yoga fills me with hope. I hope that yoga can become a binding force for the world,” he said in his video address to inaugurate the centre, the brainchild of Rajya Sabha MP and Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra.

The telecast was viewed by Chandra and several members of the Indian-American community at the centre, including Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal.

“I always believe that yoga has no religion. It contains practical steps which can benefit everyone, even those who do not consider themselves religious,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said in just three years the International Yoga Day has grown into a worldwide public movement and become an integral part of public life in many countries.

“Its impact has expanded far beyond its day of observance,” he said, adding that across nations, the day has become an occasion for initiations of millions of people inspired by the spirit of yoga, who commit themselves to its pursuit.

He added that several people, who already practice yoga, re-dedicate themselves to its pursuit on this day.

Lauding the opening of the centre, Modi appreciated that it will create about 2,000 direct and indirect jobs in the area.

“It will thus be a responsible member of the community,” he said, adding that the facility will also work to bring the benefit of yoga to all those who come there and contribute significantly to the wellness movement in the US.

Underscoring the global impact of yoga, Modi said interest in the exercise form is growing rapidly in western countries.

“It would be no exaggeration to say that yoga has been appreciated a lot by the western world. In the US alone, more than 20 million people are practicing yoga and this number is increasing at an average of five per cent every year,” he said. — PTI

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga during a mass yoga event on 4th International Yoga Day at  Forest Research Institute ground in Dehradun on Thursday, June 21, 2018. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

09:22  Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer dies at 68:  

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer, whose weekly column was syndicated to more than 400 publications worldwide, has died at the age of 68.

Krauthammer had announced on June 8 that doctors had given him just weeks time to live, reported the Variety.

In a statement he had written, “This is the final verdict. My fight is over.”

Krauthammer said he had been recovering from the surgery since last year to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen, and while he has been gradually making his way back to health, recent tests showed that cancer has returned and was spreading rapidly.

“I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing,” he further wrote.

Born on March 13, 1950, in New York City, Krauthammer’s family moved to Montreal when he was young, and he later attended McGill University before pursuing a medical degree at Harvard.

While in his first year studying at Harvard Medical School, Krauthammer became permanently paralyzed from the waist down after a diving board accident that severed his spinal cord at C5.

In the 1980s, Krauthammer embarked on a career as a columnist and political commentator.

In August 2017, due to his battle with cancer, Krauthammer stopped writing his column and serving as Fox News contributor. — ANI

09:08  Melania wears ‘I don’t care’ jacket on trip to migrant children :  

United States First Lady Melania Trump has surprised the world by visiting child migrants on the United States-Mexico border — but it was her choice of clothing for the trip that stunned the Internet.

As she was boarding a plane to Texas border, she appeared to be wearing a Zara jacket with the caption: “I really dont care. Do U?”

Photos taken as she boarded the plane at Andrews airbase didnt capture the jackets full text, but it seems to be the same as the one is available from the Zara website.

According to a pool report, Trumps communications director Stephanie Grisham told a reporter via email: “Its a jacket. There was no hidden message. After todays important visit to Texas, I hope the media isnt going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. 

However, President Donald Trump later suggested in a tweet that his wife was trolling the ‘fake news media’ rather than traumatised children.

Trump tweeted: “I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!

This is not the first time that Melania’s fashion choices raised eyebrows. 

Last year the First Lady wore needle-thin high stiletto heels when she went to visit Hurricane Harvey disaster site.

Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters 

08:47  Trump says he is looking into possibility of meeting Putin:  

United States President Donald Trump said that he is looking into the possibility of meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“We are looking at the possibility (of meeting Putin),” he told reporters, responding to a query on the speculation of their meeting.

Trump, who recently held a historic summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, said he is also planning to meet other world leaders as well.

Earlier in the day, the White House said US National Security Advisor John Bolton will be travelling to Moscow next week to discuss a possible meeting between Trump and Putin. — PTI

08:30  Encounter breaks out between security forces and terrorists in J&K:  

00:24  Urban moms avoid breastfeeding to maintain figure: Anandiben:  Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel said women in urban areas do not like to breastfeed their children as they fear it will spoil their figure.

“Women in cities these days don’t breastfeed babies as they fear their figure will be affected, the baby is fed milk through bottles since birth. As bottles break, one day their ‘naseeb‘ (destiny) will also break,” Patel said on Wednesday while attending an event at an Anganwadi centre in Mayakhedi, Indore.

Before the start of the event, Patel asked her security personals to not stand in front of the women in the audience and go at the back.

The governor advised pregnant women to register themselves with the Anganwadi centres to avail the benefits of government schemes.

She also urged women to take advantage of the various schemes by the central government.   — ANI