LIVE! Maharashtra: Mob attacks Sunday Mass in Kolhapur, 12 injured

16:42  Tharoor wants Shatru to join Congress:  This comes to you via Business Standard:

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday invited BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha to join the Congress. 

The two are colleagues in the Lok Sabha. Tharoor is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram and Sinha from Patna Sahib. 

Sinha was in Thiruvananthapuram to launch Tharoor’s book The Paradoxical Prime Minister, Narendra Modi And His India. 

Tharoor said there was ‘room for a hero’ like Sinha in the Congress. 

In his speech, Sinha criticised the PM. Along with BJP Lok Sabha member Kirti Azad, Sinha has emerged one of the most vocal critics of the PM and party chief Amit Anilchandra Shah within the BJP. 

There is speculation that Sinha will contest the Lok Sabha elections as part of the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led alliance in Bihar. The Congress, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and some others are constituents of this alliance.

16:33  28 legislators take oath as ministers in Madhya Pradesh:  

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath expanded his Cabinet on Tuesday, with 28 MLAs, including two woman legislators, sworn in as ministers.

 

Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath to the new ministers at the Raj Bhavan here.

Sajjan Singh Verma, Vijayalaxmi Sadho, Hukum Singh Karada, Govind Singh Rajput, Bala Bachchan, Arif Akil, Pradeep Jayaswal, Imarti Devi were among those sworn in as ministers.

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Kamal Nath had taken oath as the chief minister on December 17, after the Congress won the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, defeating the BJP in a nail-biting contest.

The Congress returned to power in the state after a hiatus of 15 years. — PTI 

16:17  I’m concerned about country’s anger: Sonu Nigam:  

Singer Sonu Nigam, who has been in the proverbial eye of the storm for his comments on Pakistani musicians and the #MeToo movement, says he is concerned about the “country’s anger” and would like people to “smile and be a little easy”. 

An eye for an eye leads to lynchings and road rage incidents and is just not his style, said the singer who ignited twin controversies last week.

He said during a media summit that it would be better if he was from Pakistan so he would get more offers from India. Nigam also attracted attention with his verbal spat with Sona Mohapatra on #MeToo movement. 

“I am very concerned about the country’s anger. There has to be some decorum. The kind of language people use is unbelievable. The kind of language she (Sona) used, there is so much hatred. I maintained my decorum in all my statements. We need to smile and be a little easy,” Nigam told PTI.

The 45-year-old said he became a victim of sensational headlines and their viral effect on social media.

“When I want to communicate something I will say what I know or believe in. I will speak the truth. Eye for an eye is not my style of dealing with things. This leads to mob lynching, road rage,” he added. 

With his comments on Pakistan drawing flak, Nigam issued a statement saying he has immense respect for global musicians, including Pakistani singers, but wishes for Indian artistes to be given same facilities as their foreign counterparts.

He said he made the remarks in response to a question on the current situation of the country’s music industry.

“I was asked about how the business of music functions in India. I was just giving them a clear understanding of the business status right now. These days music companies want to own the singers so when the artiste performs the companies get a cut from that,” he said. 

“… The companies have this rule for Indian singers but not for the talent coming from Pakistan or any other country,” he added. 

Nigam asserted that singers from Pakistan were his friends and he has been the only one in the last 20 years to criticise those banning Pakistani singers. 

“I don’t believe in the banning politics. Having said that, if Indian singers are made to follow a certain rule, the same system should be implemented on people from abroad,” he said.

At the summit, Nigam was quoted as saying that Anu Malik, his longtime friend, was accused without any proof and had maintained a dignified silence on the #MeToo allegations.

Mohapatra voiced her disapproval with Nigam for his comment on Anu. She had earlier called the music composer a “serial predator”. — PTI

16:14  Maharashtra: Mob attacks Sunday Mass in Kolhapur, 12 injured:  

At least 12 people were injured when they were attacked by a group of persons during a prayer meet in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, police said Tuesday.

 

The victims were attending the Sunday Mass at the residence of Bhimsen Chauhan in Kolhapur’s Kowad village, located on the Karnataka border, when the incident happened around noon, a police official said.

A group of 10-15 men armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles reached the residence on motorcycles and attacked the congregation, he said.

They threw stones on those attending the prayer and tried to barge into the house. But some women, who were part of the prayer meet, forced the attackers to back off by throwing chilly powder on them, the official said.

Twelve people were injured in the attack and they were admitted to hospital, he said.

Senior police officials were monitoring the situation in the area, he said, adding that efforts were on to ascertain the reason behind the attack. 

15:26  Jadeja was fit when we selected him for Australia Tests: MSK Prasad:  

Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad Tuesday made it clear that his committee picked Ravindra Jadeja for the Test series based on the fitness report  where he was declared absolutely fit.

   

Jadeja, who had a shoulder stiffness couldn’t feature in the second Test in Perth and coach Ravi Shastri told the mediapersons that the player was carrying the niggle from India.

 

Prasad however wanted to set the record straight on the eve of the Boxing Day Test, which will feature the Saurashtra all-rounder.

 

“On the eve of any selection meeting, the selection committee is given a fitness report of all the players. In that report, Jadeja was absolutely fit. So we picked him. After we picked him, he went and played Ranji Trophy also, where he bowled 60 overs. So there is no question of him being unfit at the time of selection (for Australia),” Prasad said.

 

“Whenever a health issue comes up, we have a group in which it is being placed. All that is looked after by the physio and they have very clearly given it in the statement,” he said.

 

On a different note, Prasad said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s return in the T20 squad for New Zealand tour was on expected lines as he was only rested for the six T20 Internationals against West Indies and Australia. 

 

“With regard to MS, even while resting also, we categorically told that he was going to be rested for those six matches so that we an give more game-time to Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant. That is the very reason. Now they have played quite a few matches, so we thought that we should bring back MS into the squad,” Prasad reasoned, even though it is clear that Dhoni won’t be part of 2020 World T20 in Australia.

 

Prasad said the decision to drop Rishabh Pant from the ODIs against Australia and New Zealand was to keep him fresh for bigger battles ahead. He assured that the young keeper is still in scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup.

 

“With regards to Rishabh, given the intensity of this series that we are playing right now, so after this series, we want to keep him fresh. Give him a break and he will have a very good game-time of five matches against the visiting England Lions. Definitely a part of our World Cup plans (sic), Prasad said. — PTI

15:21  Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth reportedly married:  

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have reportedly tied the knot in a secret ceremony.

 

The once on-again off-again couple, who reconnected in 2015, exchanged vows in an intimate affair at their home in Franklin, Tennessee on Sunday.

Several pictures of the two were shared by their surfer friend Conrad Jack Carr on his Instagram Story where in one of the photographs Hemsworth, 28, and his brothers Chris and Luke can be seen doing a “shotski”, with ‘Mr and Mrs’ balloons in the background. 

Another picture has Cyrus, 26, and Hemsworth dressed in traditional white and a tux, respectively in front of a white cake and cupcakes, with the singer’s mother, Tish in the frame.

According to People, the “Malibu” hitmaker’s sisters Noah and Brandi were also in attendance at the party.

On their Instagram Stories, they posed together with Carr as ‘Mrs’ balloons floated in the background.

The couple first started dating when they starred opposite each other in Nicholas Sparks’ 2010 drama, “The Last Song”.

Until recently the couple lived with their seven dogs, two pigs and two miniature horses in a shared Malibu home, which burned down in one of the three wildfires that blazed through California.

Representatives for both stars did not immediately reply to request for comment. — PTI

15:19  Insects to be attractive food option for growing world population: Celebrity chef Gary Mehigan:  

With an increasing pressure of an ever-growing population on our planet, celebrity chef Gary Mehigan believes that the ubiquitous insects can be an attractive and viable food option to fulfil the dietary requirements of the future.

A recent study found that promoting insects as tasty, or even as a luxurious and exotic delicacy, could help achieve more sustainable food production and healthier diets.

“Insects are eaten all over the world, some are absolutely delicious and with the pressure of an ever-growing population on our planet it will become a viable and attractive option,” Mehigan, who has been judging Masterchef Australia for the past nine years, told PTI.

However, he does not believe that super-foods, food pills and protein bars will fill in the role played by traditional foods.

“I don’t think food pills or bars will replace the traditional food that we know and enjoy today. Food is not just about sustenance, it is about family and community and an integral part of our lives, our culture and beliefs,” said Mehigan who was in the city to promote South Australia as a tourist destination. 

According to an estimate, the world population is expected to reach a whopping nine billion by 2050. To feed all of those hungry mouths, we will need to produce almost twice as much food as we currently do.

“The global community has to make some very real changes to the way we consume the world’s resources or the outcome for humanity is not all that rosy,” said Mehigan.

He noted that experimenting with lab-grown meats as green alternatives with a lower carbon footprint was a welcome step.

“The cruelty we inflict on millions of animals fills many of us with sadness, our over consumption and food waste in the first word is horrendous,” said Mehigan.

“We need to do something… I think we need to look at ways to reduce how much food we waste and consume, and make an effort to have meat free days, if we are carnivores, and take a lesson from the vegetarian community’s recipe books,” he added.

14:38  PM Modi inaugurates Bogibeel bridge :  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Bogibeel bridge in Assam, Asia’s second longest rail-cum-road bridge.

The 4.9 km-long Bogibeel bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours and will cut out the detour of over 170 km via Tinsukia. 

It will also reduce Delhi to Dibrugarh train-travel time by about three hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours presently.

The bridge on the Bramhaputra river is India’s only fully welded bridge for which european codes and welding standards were adhered to for the first time in the country.

The bridge, constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 5,900 crore, has a “serviceable period of around 120 years”.

14:17  UIDAI cautions schools not to insist on Aadhaar for admission:  

Aadhaar issuing body, the Unique Identification Authority of India has asserted that schools cannot make the 12-digit biometric identifier a pre-condition for student admission and warned that doing so will be against the recent order of the Supreme Court.  

 

The word of caution from the UIDAI comes at a time when admissions to nursery and entry-level classes have just begun in over 1,500 private schools in Delhi. 

 

However, there have been reports of certain schools insisting on Aadhaar as one of the documents required for admission.  

The UIDAI has said it is aware of the reports that some schools are asking for Aadhaar cards for student admission.  

“This is not right. This is not as per the provisions of law…school admission and other facility to children cannot be made conditional to production of Aadhaar,” UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI.  

The UIDAI has asked the school authorities and their managements to ensure that no child is denied admission for lack of Aadhaar.   

“In fact, schools should admit children without Aadhaar and ensure that children are given Aadhaar once they are in schools by arranging special camps for them,” he said.  

 

Asked what action could schools face if they continued to insist on Aadhaar, Pandey said that it will clearly be seen as contempt of court.  

In September this year, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar but clipped the scope of the biometric identity project, ruling it was not mandatory for bank accounts, mobile connections or school admissions.  

The apex court held that Aadhaar would remain compulsory for filing of Income Tax returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number, as well as welfare schemes.  

The SC verdict emphasised that it would not be mandatory for school admissions, as also for the examinations conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Examination, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical entrance and the University Grants Commission. — PTI 

13:57  Delhi’s air quality remains ‘severe’ for 4th consecutive day:  

Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday as meteorological conditions continued to be unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants, authorities said.

 

The city is facing its worst pollution crisis since Diwali.

While the Central Pollution Control Board data showed the overall air quality index at ‘severe’ level of 416, the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting recorded an AQI of 423.

Twenty-five areas recorded severe pollution levels, while nine recorded very poor air quality, the CPCB data showed.

In the NCR, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida recorded severe pollution while Gurgaon recorded ‘very poor’ quality air.

The overall PM2.5 level (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre) was recorded at 271 and the PM10 level at 422 here, the CPCB said.

Delhi’s air quality had turned ‘severe’ on Saturday. The national capital recorded its second highest pollution level of the year on Sunday with an AQI of 450.

According to the SAFAR, the overall air quality in Delhi is expected to remain in the ‘severe’ range till Tuesday.

“Recovery got delayed mainly due to slowing of wind speed, leading to persistence of fog which rapidly multiplied finer particles, leading to rapid increase in PM2.5 and even PM1 (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 1 micrometre),” it said.

“Improvement is expected from late Tuesday evening only when radiation fog get dissipated with sufficient sunshine,” it added.

According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, air quality is likely to improve on Tuesday, but will remain in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ or in the ‘severe’ category.

“The wind speed and ventilation index are highly unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants,” it said.

Ventilation index is the speed at which pollutants can get dispersed. A ventilation index lower than 6,000 sqm/second, with average wind speed less than 10 kmph, is unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants.

The index on Tuesday was 5,000 sqm/second on Tuesday, the IITM said.

13:19  Cold wave intensifies in Kashmir, water supply lines frozen:  

Cold wave conditions intensified across Kashmir, except Srinagar city, as the mercury slipped further below the freezing point, resulting in frozen water bodies and water supply lines in several residential areas on Tuesday.

 

Srinagar — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — which recorded the coldest night in 11 years on Monday at minus 6.8C, experienced some respite as the mercury settled over a degree higher at minus 5.5C last night, a Met department official said.

The official said Qazigund — the gateway town to the Valley — in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.2C, while the nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 5.3C last night.

Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.2C last night, he said.

The night temperature in Pahalgam, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 7.7C last night, the official said, adding the resort was colder than Gulmarg and the coldest place in the Valley.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.6C, he said.

The official said Leh recorded a low of minus 10.0C last night up from minus 14.7C the previous night.

The nearby Kargil recorded a low of minus 14.2C, he added.

The cold wave has resulted in freezing of some water bodies, including the fringes of the famous Dal Lake here, and residential water supply pipes in many areas of the city and other towns of the Valley.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — the harshest period of winter when chances of snowfall are maximum and the temperature drops considerably.

‘Chillai-Kalan’ ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold). — PTI

13:16  RBI to soon release new Rs 20 bank note:  

The Reserve Bank of India will soon introduce a new Rs 20 currency note with additional features, according to a document of the central bank.

   

The central bank has already issued new look currency notes in the denominations of Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, and Rs 500, besides introducing Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 bank notes.

 

The new look notes are being introduced since November 2016 under Mahatma Gandhi (New) series. These are different in size and design compared to the notes issued previously.

 

The currency notes, except for banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, issued under old series continue to remain legal tender.

 

According to the RBI data bank, there were 4.92 billion pieces of Rs 20 note in circulation as on March 31, 2016. The number more than doubled to about 10 billion pieces by March 2018.

 

The Rs 20 notes accounted for 9.8 per cent of the total number of currency notes in circulation at the end of March 2018. — PTI

13:14  Heidi Klum gets engaged to musician Tom Kaulitz:  

Supermodel Heidi Klum and musician Tom Kaulitz are now an engaged couple.

 

The catwalk icon made the announcement on Christmas Eve on Instagram where she shared a black-and-white photo flaunting a big diamond on her finger. 

Klum, 45, captioned photo,”I said yes.”

Klum and Kaulitz, 29, went public with their relationship in March this year at the amfAR Gala Cannes. — PTI   

12:53  Indonesia tsunami death toll reaches 429:  

Thousands of people were left homeless when the waves smashed homes on coastal areas of western Java and southern Sumatra, when a volcano known as the child of Krakatoa erupted, which in turn, triggered a tsunami 

12:23  Chhattisgarh CM expands cabinet; inducts nine ministers:  

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday conducted the first expansion of his Cabinet by inducting nine Congress MLAs, including a woman legislator, as ministers.

 

Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath to the new ministers at the Police Parade Ground here.

The ministers took oath in Hindi.

Among the ministers sworn in included Mohammed Akbar, Umesh Patel, Anila Bhediya and Ravindra Chaubey.

Baghel took oath as Chhattisgarh chief minister on December 17, after the Congress won the state assembly election with a thumping majority.

Two other Congress legislators, T S Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu, were also sworn in as ministers that day.

The Congress returned to power in the state after 15 years, dislodging the Raman Singh-led BJP government. PTI  

11:47  I am all alone in WH, says Trump as partial govt shutdown enters 3rd day:  

Bored at the White House on Christmas Eve, a lone Donald Trump spent the day slamming his critics, as the government entered its third day of partial shutdown initiated by a rift with Democrats over the President’s long-promised wall along the United States-Mexico border.

President Trump, who has cancelled his trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, said he was “all alone” in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come to the negotiating table to end the partial government shutdown.

Through a series of tweets and pictures, Trump showed he was working hard while the opposition Democratic lawmakers were in their homes celebrating Christmas.

 

“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security,” Trump tweeted on Monday.

Trump wants the Democrats to fund for a border wall to stop illegal immigrants from entering the US. Democrats have refused his demands for USD 5 billion in funding for his border wall in a standoff that resulted in a partial government at midnight on Friday.

“At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our country more money than the border wall we are all talking about. Crazy!” Trump said.

Several hours later, Trump said in a tweet that he was in the Oval Office and working on border security.

“I am in the Oval Office and just gave out a 115-mile-long contract for another large section of the Wall in Texas. We are already building and renovating many miles of Wall, some complete. Democrats must end Shutdown and finish funding. Billions of dollars, and lives, will be saved!” he said.

He also tweeted a picture of him with senior administration officials for a briefing on North Korea.

“Christmas Eve briefing with my team working on North Korea Progress being made. Looking forward to my next summit with Chairman Kim!” Trump said. — PTI

10:53  Modi leads political fraternity in paying tribute to Vajpayee:  

The visionary leadership and endearing personality of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were fondly remembered by the entire country on Tuesday – his 94th birth anniversary. Leading the heartfelt tributes for the iconic leader was PM Narendra Modi who, along with politicians cutting across party lines, paid homage at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were among the first to reach Rashtriya Smriti Sthal where they offered a floral tribute to Vajpayee. PM Modi also took to Twitter to honour the memory of a figure who played an important role in shaping the future of the party, the country and its people. “Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We reiterate our commitment towards creating the India he dreamt of,” he wrote, alongwith a video showing priceless glimpses from Vajpayee’s life.

Former PM Manmohan Singh and several other leaders from the opposition also honoured the memory of Vajpayee – many attending the sombre event at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

Vajpayee passed away on August 16 at All India Institute of Medical Science in Delhi following a prolonged illness. The veteran leader, who led the National Democratic Alliance government from 1998-2004, was the first ever person from the BJP to have become the nation’s Prime Minister. Vajpayee served as Prime Minister thrice — briefly in 1996, and then for two terms between 1998 and 2004.

10:19  Can’t endure 41-hour flight back to India: Mehul Choksi to court:  

Diamantaire and PNB scam accused Mehul Choksi has written to a special anti-money laundering court seeking the dismissal of an Enforcement Directorate plea to declare him a fugitive economic offender. 

In the letter, Choksi also lamented about the tortoise speed at which the investigation was proceeding in India, saying it would be years before trial would even begin. He also reportedly said that it would not be possible for him to endure a 41-hour flight back to India from Antigua, whose citizenship he obtained earlier this year, due to “health ailments”.

According to a report in Times of India, Choksi has told the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court that he was in touch with the Punjab National Bank to settle his loans. Choksi has alleged that the ED deliberately did not placed this correspondence before the court to mislead it, the report added.

Choksi, the Chairman of the Gitanjali Group who has taken refuge in Antigua, was one of the prime accused in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank fraud along with his nephew Nirav Modi.

The ED in October had attached both their assets in India and abroad worth Rs 218 crore. Both left India in the first week of January, weeks before the scam was reported to the CBI.

09:51  Kill mercilessly: Karnataka CM seen issuing order on video after JD-S leader is murdered:  

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has been caught on camera telling someone over the phone to kill the attackers of a local leader of his Janata Dal-Secular party, Honnalagere Prakash, mercilessly in a shootout.

He (Prakash) was a very good man. I dont know who did this and why. But Kill them (assailants) mercilessly in a shootout, there is no problem, Kumaraswamy is heard saying in the video clip.

Prakash was attacked by unidentified men with machetes on Monday in south Karnatakas Mandya district while he was travelling in his car in Maddur.

Prakash, who was murdered, was a party loyalist. I have instructed the police to take all necessary measures to ensure that such incidents are not recurring, Kumaraswamy said in a statement issued by his office.

The chief minister later defended his statement, saying he was angry.

Later, the chief ministers office issued a statement where it was claimed that the comments were an emotional reaction to the incident and not orders. The words used while receiving information about this incident were an emotional reaction to the incident and not an order by the chief minister.

09:20  All departures at Delhi Airport on hold due to dense fog:  

All departures at Delhi airport have been stopped for the last hour due to dense fog. The dense fog has led to poor visibility on the runway.

Several parts of Delhi and other states in north India were engulfed in thick fog this morning.

With departures getting delayed, some people complained on social media that their travel plans on Christmas would be affected.

09:01  Bogibeel Bridge, India’s longest rail-road link, to be Inaugurated after 21-year wait Today:  

Assams long wait for the Bogibeel Bridge — the longest rail-cum-road bridge — will end when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it on Tuesday.

The 4.9km-long bridge, which witnessed several protests and missed deadlines, will not only improve connectivity between the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River, but also help the economic development of the region and strengthen the defence movement along the India-China frontiers.

The Bogibeel Bridge, an offshoot of the Assam Movement which culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, is also recognised as Asias second-longest bridge with three-lane roads on top and a double line rail below.

Sanctioned on January 22, 1997, then prime minister HD Deve Gowda had laid the foundation stone for the bridge. However, the construction began only after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the work site on April 21, 2002. The inauguration ceremony of the bridge coincides with the 94th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, who passed away in August this year.

08:27  K L Rahul, Murali Vijay dropped from Team India squad for MCG Test:  

he Indian team management named the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test and there are quite a few changes in the team from the XI that took the field in the second Test in Perth.

Both the openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay have been dropped and Mayank Agarwal is set to make his debut. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also comes in for Umesh Yadav as the thinktank decided to pick a spinner. ODI deputy Rohit Sharma also makes a comeback to the team.

The playing XI for 3rd Test goes: Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah.

08:17  Erdogan invites Trump to visit Turkey: White House:  

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited his American counterpart Donald Trump to visit Turkey in 2019, the White House has said.

  

“President Erdogan invited President Trump to visit Turkey in 2019. While nothing definite is being planned, the President is open to a potential meeting in the future,” a White House spokesperson said.

The invitation comes just days after Trump made the controversial decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, where they have been deployed to assist in the international war against the Islamic State jihadist group.

Turkey was a rare ally that lauded Trump’s decision on Syria, a country where it will now have a freer rein to target Kurdish fighters who were armed and trained by the US and played a major role in the war against IS but are deemed terrorists by Ankara.

Turkey has said an offensive targeting the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units militia and IS group will be launched in the coming months, and has deployed troops to the Syrian border. 

08:03  Madhya Pradesh Cabinet ministers to take oath today:  

The new Cabinet of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will take oath on December 25.

The oath ceremony would take place at Raj Bhawan at 3 pm.

Congress veteran Nath was sworn-in as Chief Minister on December 17, six days after his party posted a narrow victory over the BJP, which ruled the state for 15 years.

Nath has been camping in New Delhi since the past three days to finalise the list of his Cabinet colleagues, to be sworn in today, in consultation with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders.

Their names have not been made public so far.

According to party sources, one or two Independent MLAs may get into the new Cabinet.

Though the Congress, with 114 seats, emerged as the single largest party in the 230-member assembly, it failed to cross the halfway mark on its own and enlisted support of the

BSP and the SP, which have won two seats and one, respectively.

Four Independent MLAs, who are Congress rebels, have also extended their support, taking the total number of MLAs on the Congress side to 121.

The BJP had won 109 seats.

The MP assembly session is going to begin on January 7 with the oath-taking by newly elected MLAs. 

— PTI

00:12  Don’t trouble Hanuman, your Lanka will be on fire: Raj Babbar to BJP:  

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar Monday asked the BJP to refrain from making statements on Lord Hanuman, suggesting that the party lost elections in three states by dragging the deity into politics.  

 

The Congress leader’s remarks came amid a row over Lord Hanuman’s caste triggered by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath when he called the deity a Dalit during a rally in the run-up to the Rajasthan assembly elections.

“Don’t trouble Lord Hanuman too much. With a swipe of his tail, the BJP lost elections in three states, Now, their Lanka will be on fire,” he told reporters here. 

 

While addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, Adityanath had said, “Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to unite all Indian communities, from north to south and east to west.”

A few days later,  National Commission for Scheduled Tribes chairperson Nand Kumar Sai had claimed that Lord Hanuman was a tribal.

Last week, Bukkal Nawab, a BJP MLC from Uttar Pradesh, claimed that the monkey god was a Muslim while UP’s Religious Affairs Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary stated that the Hindu deity belonged to the Jat community.

Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary and former MP Rama Shankar Vidyarthi had claimed that Lord Hanuman belonged to tribal ‘Gond’ community. — PTI