13:07 Trump-Putin summit costs over Rs 2 crore:
United States President Donald Trump’s recent summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Finland was a costly affair.
The US State Department made a lot of new purchase orders specifically for a one-day summit.
According to federal documents, the hotel bill was a staggering $128,681.39 (around Rs 88.12 lakh) and tech support was $100,972.50 (around Rs 69.15 lakh), which also included an additional $12,000 (Rs 8.21 lakh) alone for laptop/printer rentals, reported TMZ.
Interestingly, Trump, who is well-known for criticising media time and again, spent a hefty amount of $52,703.38 (around Rs 36.23 lakh) on feeding them.
The US government spent $15,913.35 (around Rs 10.94 lakh) on Secret Service’s ballistic glass installation and removal.
Also, a $56,000 (around Rs 38. 50 lakh) was shelled by the government for paying the airport hangar rental fee.
The US government in total spent a whopping $302,124.62 (around Rs 2.07 crore) for the summit.
12:58 Religion, caste or beliefs matter little to me: Rahul hits back at BJP :
As the Bharatiya Janata Party has been kicking up a storm over his reported statement at a meeting of Muslim intellectuals that ‘the Congress was a party of Muslims’, the Congress president tweeted on Tuesday: ‘I stand with the last person in the line. The exploited, marginalised and the persecuted. Their religion, caste or beliefs matter little to me. I seek out those in pain and embrace them. I erase hatred and fear. I love all living beings. I am the Congress.’
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mocked the Congress for being a party which stood only with Muslim men.
‘I read in the newspaper that the Congress president had said that the Congress is a party of Muslims, and there has been discussion on this for the past two days,’ he said in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi’s recent meeting with Muslim intellectuals.
‘I am not surprised as when Manmohan Singh was the PM, he had said that Muslims have the first right over natural resources,’ Modi said.
‘But I want to ask the Congress whether it is a party of Muslim men alone,’ he added.
12:19 TN tax raids throw up Rs 163 cr in cash, 100 kg of gold: In one of the biggest recoveries till date, the income-tax department has seized Rs 163 crores in cash and about 100 kg of bullion, following raids at multiple premises of a road construction firm in Tamil Nadu, officials said today.
The searches were launched yesterday at the premises of Ms SPK and Company, a partnership firm engaged in roads and highways construction on contract from the government.
“About Rs 163 crores cash, which is suspected to be unaccounted, and bullion and gold jewellery weighing about 100 kg have been seized so far. The raids are still going on,” a senior official of the IT department said.
Officials said the seizure was probably the biggest so far in raid operations anywhere in the country.
The department had seized over Rs 110 crores in cash following raids at the premises of a mining baron in Chennai post demonetisation in 2016.
The Chennai investigation wing of the IT department is conducting the operation.
The raids were carried out after the department found “evidence of suspected tax evasion by the firm and its associates” that were believed to have political links, the senior IT official said.
A total of 22 premises — 17 in Chennai, four in Aruppukottai (Virudhunagar district) and one in Katpadi (Vellore) — were being searched, the officials said.
The seized cash was kept in big travel bags and parked cars, they said, adding that dozens of gold biscuits were also seized.
A number of documents and computer hardware were also seized by the department, the officials said.
12:03 Lokpal selection committee to meet on July 19 to constitute search committee: Centre to SC:
The Centre today told the Supreme Court that the Lokpal selection committee has convened a meeting on July 19 for the purpose of constituting a search panel.
The government told a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the search committee would have to recommend a panel of names for appointing a Lokpal.
The bench fixed the matter for further hearing on July 24 and said since the selection committee was scheduled to meet on July 19, it would not pass any direction.
The committee comprises the prime minister, the chief justice of India, Lok Sabha speaker, the leader of the largest opposition party and an eminent jurist.
The court was hearing a contempt petition, filed by senior advocate Shanti Bhushan on behalf of NGO Common Cause, raising the issue of non-appointment of Lokpal despite the apex court’s judgement of April 27 last year. — PTI
11:55 Salman, Akshay among Forbes’ highest paid celebs in world:
Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan are among the world’s 100 highest-paid entertainers, according to a Forbes list topped by American boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Akshay is ranked 76th on the Forbes list of the World’s Highest Paid Celebrities 2018 while Salman is on the 82nd spot.
Forbes said the world’s 100 top-earning entertainers pulled in a combined USD 6.3 billion pretax over the past 12 months, up 22 per cent from last year and 11 superstars crossed the USD 100 million threshold, more than double the number from the last two years combined.
Akshay, 50, had earnings of 40.5 million dollars.
Forbes said “one of Bollywood’s leading men has transitioned to socially-conscious roles,” citing his films such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha that focussed on government campaigns to improve sanitation, and Padman, about a man hoping to provide inexpensive sanitary pads to rural communities. He also mints millions from profits and endorsing about 20 brands.
Salman, 52, had earnings of USD 37.7 million.
Forbes said he remains one of India’s top earners and the “Bollywood mainstay” continues to produce and star in hits such as Tiger Zinda Hai,” cashing in on backend profits.
The list has been topped by Mayweather with earnings of 285 million dollars. Among the other highest-paid entertainers are actor George Clooney (second), reality TV star and businessperson Kylie Jenner (third), soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (10), pop star Katy Perry (19), tennis icon Roger Federer (23), singer Beyonce (35), author J K Rowling (42) and golfer Tiger Woods (66). — PTI
Image: Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan with Tamil superstar Rajinikanth at the first look launch of 2.0. Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar
11:10 SC asks Parliament to enact anti-lynching law:
The Supreme Court today said no one can take the law into their hands and that it is the duty of the state governments to ensure law and order is maintained.
The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking directions to formulate guidelines to curb vigilantism.
“Horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be allowed to become new norm and has to be curbed with an iron hand,” the SC said.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud also asked Parliament to enact a law to deal with mob lynchings and to punish such offenders.
The bench fixed the matter for further hearing on August 28.
The court’s order came on a batch of petitions including by social activist Tehseen S Poonawalla and Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, seeking to curb violence by cow vigilante groups.
Tushar Gandhi had also filed a contempt plea against some states, accusing them of not enforcing the earlier orders of the court.
10:29 Denied ambulance, woman forced to give birth in moving bus in MP:
In yet another case of alleged medical negligence, a pregnant woman was forced to give birth to baby after she was denied ambulance in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur area.
The medical practitioners of the community hospital in Chhatarpur allegedly turned away a pregnant woman and referred her to a district hospital.
The hospital didn’t even provide transportation to the woman in pain.
She later gave birth in an unsanitary condition inside a moving bus.
Narrating his wife’s ordeal, the husband said, “I had taken her to a community hospital, from where she was referred to a district hospital. No vehicle was provided by the community hospital, so I took a bus to the district hospital. She delivered the baby on the way.” — ANI
10:22 Sacha Baron Cohen is back, and funnier!: British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen returns, devastatingly funny as always, with a 10-minute clip that takes the Mickey out of the US’s pro-gun activists and right-wing Congressmen.
He totally dupes them pretending to be a fearsome ex-Mossad-type Israeli, who is selling a programme named Kindeguardians to America that arms toddlers with guns for their self protection.
And he gets extraordinary results.
In the bargain he proves how deranged and dangerous the American pro-gun bunch is.
Why can’t we let Baron loose on Delhi Durbar?
10:18 Actor Rita Bhaduri passes away:
Veteran actress Rita Bhaduri passed away on Monday night.
The actor, who was last seen as Imarti Devi in Star Bharat’s TV show Nimki Mukhiya, was 62.
Actor Shishir Sharma took to his Facebook account to share the news of her demise.
“We deeply regret to inform you that Reeta Bhaduri has departed for her journey beyond. The funeral rites will be held on 17th July, Tuesday at 12 noon at the Cremation Ground, Parsi Wada Road, Parshiwada, Chakala, Andheri East. Extremely sad.. lost a wonderful human being .. a mother to many of us.. will miss u Ma,” he wrote.
Rita Bhaduri has worked in 70 movies like Raja, Julie, Beta, Dil Vil Pyar Vyar and over 20 television shows, which includes Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, Amanat and Kumkum.
10:08 Should I have asked army to take along Rahul for surgical strikes: Parrikar:
Former defence minister Manohar Parrikar ridiculed the Congress for questioning the veracity of the surgical strike conducted by the army in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2016.
Taking a jibe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, the Goa chief minister said, “When we did the surgical strike, the opposition parties said that they never happened. I would have taken the opposition party on the surgical strike. I would have told the army to take Rahul Gandhi and do the surgical strike”.
“If you want to do a surgical strike, then the most important thing is secrecy. Only four people were knowing about the strike including the prime minister, me, the army chief and the director general of military operations besides Army’s Zone Commander and the Commander in Srinagar,” he said.
The army had reported on September 29, 2016, eleven days after the Uri attack that claimed 18 jawans, that it had conducted surgical strikes against suspected militant launch pads in the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
09:30 All Mother Teresa care homes to be inspected after baby selling scandal:
Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has instructed the state governments to inspect all child care homes run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity across the country.
The decision was taken after the Jharkhand child trafficking case came to light, wherein three children were rescued after being trafficked by three nuns of the Missionaries of Charity.
Gandhi has asked the state governments to ensure registration of all child care institutions and linking them to the Central Adoption Resource Authority within next month.
According to an official release, the mandatory registration of CCIs and linking to Central Adoption Resource Authority has been provided in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 which came into force more than two years ago but some orphanages had challenged the validity of this clause.
However, the Supreme Court has since dismissed the petitions and has upheld the validity; vide their order of December 2017. Since then, approximately 2300 child care institutions have been linked to CARA and about 4000 are still pending for linkage. — ANI
09:16 Russian woman arrested in the US, accused of being a spy:
29-year-old Russian woman Mariia Butina has been arrested on the charges of conspiring to act as an agent of the Russian government, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
Butina, a Russian gun rights advocate living in Washington, was developing ties with US citizens and infiltrating political groups including the National Rifle Association.
The announcement of her arrest comes hours after US President Donald Trump met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland and barely days after special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton presidential campaign.
“Butina worked at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank. This Russian official was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018,” Sputnik reported, citing the statement issued by the DOJ on Monday, as saying.
However, the report does not identify the Kremlin official.
It is pertinent to mention that charges do not stem out of the Mueller’s investigation.
The report also quoted FBI Special Agent Kevin Helson, as saying in a sworn statement that one of the goals which the Russian national was endeavouring to achieve was to “exploit personal connections with US person having influence in American politics in an effort to advance the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Butina’s lawyer Robert Driscoll has denied allegations and maintained her innocence.
The next hearing is scheduled to take place on July 18. — ANI
08:41 Putin dismisses Mueller probe as ‘political games’:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign is politically motivated, calling it part of the United States’ “internal political games”.
“It’s quite clear to me that (the investigation) is (being) used in the internal political struggle — and it’s nothing to be proud of for American democracy, to use such dirty methods in the political rivalry,” he told Fox News in an interview.
Putin again denied meddling in the 2016 presidential election
“I mentioned this in 2016 and I want to say it now again, Russia, as a state, has never interfered with the internal affairs of the United States, let alone an election,” Putin said.
Earlier, United States President Donald Trump also mentioned that Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign was ‘a disaster for our country’, while also saying that it had negatively impacted US-Russia relations.
00:26 Sharif kept in ‘abysmal conditions’ in Rawalpindi jail:
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been kept in ‘abysmal conditions’ and deprived of a newspaper and bed and uses a ‘dirty’ washroom in the high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, according to a letter written by his brother Shahbaz Sharif.
The letter was written by Shahbaz to caretaker chief minister of Punjab Hasan Askari Rizvi.
It came after Shahbaz, Sharif’s younger brother and former chief minister of the province, visited Sharif with his family on Saturday.
‘I want to draw your attention to the abysmal conditions under which Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is languishing in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi,’ he wrote.
Sharif, 68, and his daughter Maryam, 44, were arrested in Lahore on July 13 on their arrival from London after an accountability court found them guilty over his family’s ownership of four luxury flats in London.
They were later taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Shahbaz, who is also president of Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz, went on to highlight the conditions faced by the former prime minister in jail.
‘It was noted during my visit that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was not even given a newspaper to read, his mattress was on the floor and the washroom at his disposal was in a dirty despicable condition, with no air conditioner in his room,’ the letter said.
Shahbaz complained that no attendant was provided and medical facility also was not up to the mark to take care of Sharif who is a heart and diabetic patient.
He said Sharif needed medicine on time and frequent visits of a doctor and requested that his personal doctor, who knows his medical condition, be allowed to visit him twice a day to administer medicine and examine a clean diet.
‘It is very unfortunate that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, three time Prime Minister of Pakistan, is being treated in such a shabby manner. This situation is unacceptable given the minimum facilities he is entitled to as former Prime Minister,’ he wrote. — PTI
Source: Rediff