Biggest drug haul: 1500 kg heroin worth Rs 3500 cr seized off Gujarat coast

Intruder suspicious vessel, which was found to be registered in Panama, had 8 crew members, no cargo

In one of the Biggest Drugs Haul, an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship seized 1,500 kgs of heroin valued at about Rs 3,500 crore from a merchant vessel off the Gujarat coast, a defence spokesperson said today.

Merchant vessel 'Henry' was intercepted and detained off the Gulf of Khambat along the Gujarat coast by ICG ship 'Samudra Pavak,' the coast guard said in a release today.

Latest Current Affairs : The vessel was intercepted at around 12:00 hrs yesterday.

"During the initial inspection by the Coast Guard, approximately 1,500 kg of narcotics worth Rs 3,500 crore have been found onboard (ship 'Henry'). This is the biggest catch of narcotics in the present times," it said.

The intruder suspicious vessel, which was found to be registered in Panama, had eight crew members onboard and no cargo. It said it was headed to Bhavnagar for breaking at the Alang yard after being intercepted by the ICG ship in the Gulf of Khambat, which was denied by the Gujarat Maritime Board, the ICG said.

The vessel was today taken to Porbandar, and crew members were detained for interrogation in the presence of intelligence agencies, police, customs, enforcement, narcotics, and the navy, it said.

The development comes three days after the ICG was mobilised on intelligence input that an Iranian vessel Prince-II, carrying large amount of narcotics (heroin and chitta), was likely to enter Bhavnagar (Gulf of Khambat) or Jamnagar (Gulf of Kutch) in disguise, the release said.

Following this, the ICG intercepted and detained two cargo ships -- Al-Amir and Noor-E-Shabir-- on July 28 for questioning after their movement was found to be suspicious.

While they were being questioned, vessel 'Henry' was detected to be moving suspiciously in the Gulf of Khambat by ICG aircraft Dornier when it was "sanitising the sea area," the ICG said.

A P J Abdul Kalam's death anniversary: PM in Rameshwaram to unveil memorial

Laer, Modi will flag off 'Kalam Sandesh Vahini', an exhibition bus that would run across states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate APJ Abdul Kalam's memorial in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and attend several other programmes on Thursday, the second death anniversary of the former president.

Today Current Affairs : The prime minister will hoist the national flag at the memorial designed and built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Pei Karumbu, the PMO had said in a statement here yesterday.

He will unveil a statue of Kalam and offer floral tributes besides interacting with his family members.

Later, the PM would flag off 'Kalam Sandesh Vahini', an exhibition bus which would travel across various states of the country and reach Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 15, the birth anniversary of the former President, the statement said.

Modi will then proceed to Mandapam for a public meeting.

He will distribute sanction letters to the beneficiaries of long liner trawlers under 'Blue Revolution' scheme and also flag off a new express train from Ayodhya to Rameswaram (via video conference).

The PM will also release a synopsis of the 'Green Rameswaram' project, the statement said.

He will unveil a plaque to mark the dedication to the nation of the 9.5-km link road on NH 87, which runs between Mukundarayar Chathiram and Arichalmunai.

The day-long visit will conclude with an address at a public meeting.

Presidential polls result today: Counting from 11 am, result out by 5 pm

Ram Nath Kovind has a distinct advantage over his rival Meira Kumar

Politics News : Counting of the votes cast to decide who will be India's new President will begin on Thursday from 11 am. The result will decide the fate of the two contenders — the ruling NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind, who has a clear edge, and the combined Opposition nominee Meira Kumar.

The candidate who secures at least one vote more than 50 per cent of the total votes will become India's 14th President and enter the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The final result of the presidential election 2017 is expected to be out by 5 pm today.

Officials said that all preparations have been made for the vote count and that all ballot boxes had already reached Parliament House by Tuesday evening amid tight security.

Also Read : Presidential election 2017 India: Kovind or Meira Kumar, who will be the next Rashtrapati?

They said the counting would begin at 11 am simultaneously across four tables. There will be eight rounds of counting and announcements made after every round.

Polling to choose the successor to President Pranab Mukherjee, who demits office on July 24, was held simultaneously at 32 polling stations — one in Parliament House and one each in the 29 state Assemblies and two Union Territories with Assemblies.

Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra is the Returning Officer for the election and will issue the certificate to the winning candidate.

Officials said the seals of the ballot boxes will be opened on Thursday in the presence of representatives of the two candidates - former Bihar Governor Kovind and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar - and the observers of the Election Commission.

In Monday's polling, several states registered 100 per cent turnout. The overall poll percentage was pegged at 99.41 per cent. A total of 776 members of Parliament and 4,120 legislators were eligible to cast votes.

Kovind has the advantage

Read Full Story >>>

Woman can show face only to her husband: Muslim cleric on Pathan's selfie

He said women can also show face in cases involving law related things such as aadhaar or pan card

Following Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan Wife post on social media, where he is seen with his wife, the all-rounder has received massive backlash especially from religious leaders, who claim what he did was against Islamic law.

Calling it 'un-Islamic', Maulana Sajid Rashidi said that Irfan Pathan's background is very religious as his father was a muezzin, and so posting his wife's picture on social media is a shameful act.

Latest Current Affairs : "A woman can show her face only to her husband and in cases involving law related things such as aadhaar or pan card, only then can she show her face," he added.

He also said that it is due to his religious background that people started "reminding" him about his religion, and that this was not a troll.

Calling the act shameful, Sajid Rashidi said, "His wife isn't an actor that she somehow comes in front of the camera, she is a home maker and hence uploading her pictures like that is a shameful act."

He further advised the cricketer to not do anything that is not allowed in Islam.

"Right to freedom is only according to the Indian constitution, what I am telling is the Islamic law and Islamic law doesn't allow this," he added.

He said that people on social media are merely telling him that doing this is wrong and asked why does Irfan Pathan need to post pictures of his wife.

"There are so many people who are watching his wife's picture and also nail-polish is visible in the picture, and if nail-polish has been applied, one can't read namaz and if one does not read namaz, what kind of Muslim are they?" he added.

The controversy started when the Indian cricketer posted a picture with his wife on social networking sites, Instagram and Facebook, and people started trolling him.

He captioned the picture saying 'this girl is trouble', where his wife can be seen in a hijab, comically covering her face with both her hands which sported brightly painted red nails.

Not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha, Mayawati threatens to resign

The BSP supremo was speaking about the Saharanpur anti-Dalit violence in the Upper House

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati News on Tuesday said she will resign from the Rajya Sabha after being asked to wrap up her impromptu speech on the Saharanpur anti-Dalit violence in the Upper House of the Parliament.

"I will resign right away. I will come back and give my resignation," she said and walked out of the House.

Politics News : The Congress walked out of the Rajya Sabha after Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had got a mandate to rule, as BSP supremo Mayawati vociferously spoke against atrocities on Dalits and minorities in Uttar Pradesh and demanded a discussion on the issue.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad took objection to Naqvi's remarks, saying the BJP had got a mandate to protect the poor, farmers, minorities, and Dalits.

"When Mayawati tried to talk, she was told that we have got the mandate. We did not know the BJP has got the mandate for the massacre of minorities and Dalits. We are not with this government," an angry Azad said and walked out of the House.

Other Congress members followed their leader.

Earlier, there was a din in the House as Mayawati spoke about "atrocities on Dalits" in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh.

She said "casteism and capitalism" have grown all over the country, particularly in the BJP-ruled states, after the BJP came to power at the Centre.

The BSP chief alleged that Dalits were being targeted and sought the attention of the House over the issue.

Kovind vs Meira: MPs, MLAs to vote for presidential candidate today

President election: The MPs will vote on Green ballots and the MLAs will vote on pink ballots

The elected representative of the Parliament and various state assemblies on Monday will vote to elect India's next President.

There are two candidates in the fray for the coveted post- National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Meira Kumar. President Pranab Mukherjee's term is expiring on July 25.

In the last presidential elections 2017 in 2012, Pranab Mukherjee had defeated P A Sangma and got over 69 per cent votes.

Ram Nath Kovind, former Governor of Bihar, was announced as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA's candidate for the post of President of India by BJP president Amit Shah on June 19, 2017. Kovind is a leader and a politician from the BJP. Kovind filed his nomination for the election on June 23, 2017.

Also Read : Presidential elections 2017: Kovind likely to sail through as numbers favour NDA in

Meira Kumar, the former Speaker of Lok Sabha, was announced as the Indian National Congress (INC)-lead opposition's candidate for the post of President of India, after a meeting held on June 22, 2017.

Both Kovind and Kumar are from the Dalit community and have canvassed hard by visiting states to seek the support of legislators.

The president is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament, the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the 29 states and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. As of 2017, the electoral college comprises 776 MPs (Members of Parliament) and 4120 MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly).

Also Read : Ram Nath Kovind vs Meira Kumar: Voting begins for India's next President

The total strength of the Electoral college is 10,98,903 votes. Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) don't take part in the election of President of India.

The value of an MLA's vote depends on the population of the state he or she represents. But the value of the vote of an MP does not vary -- it is 708.

Though the poll result will be announced on July 20, it is expected that Kovind will emerge as winner as he has also support of non-NDA parties like All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Janata Dal- United (JD-U), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and independents.

In terms of the percentage, the total electoral votes come to over 60 percent in favour of Kovind, which is much higher than the requisite 50 percent. Read More

Sasikala accused of paying Rs 2-cr bribe for special menu, kitchen in jail

Deputy Inspector of Prisons Roopa Moudgil alleged Sasikala had bribed senior police officials

AIADMK General Secretary and convict V.K. Sasikala Natarajan was on Wednesday accused of bribing Karnataka Director General of Prisons (DGP) Satyanarayana Rao and city central jail officials for undue favours.

Current Affairs : "Sasikala has given Rs 1 crore bribe to Rao and another Rs 1 crore was distributed among officials, including warden of the central jail where she is serving 4-year sentence in an illegal wealth case for allowing her special privileges," said a local news channel thats quoted Deputy Inspector of Prisons (DIG) Roopa Moudgil submitted to the state government.

While Roopa was not reachable to confirm the bribery and other charges, Rao, however, denied them and accused Roopa of gross sub-ordination.

"I have served a memo to her (Roopa) seeking explanation and evidence to prove her wild allegations. She has not given any report to me or the government against me or other jail officials," Rao told IANS.

In a sensational revelation, Roopa said 59-year-old Sasikala was getting royal treatment in the women's cell where she has been lodged since February 15 to serve her sentence.

Co-convicts Sasikala's sister-in-law Elavarasi and nephew V.K. Sudhakaran were also held guilty by a trial court in September 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court on February 14 in the two-decade-old disproportionate assets case of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

"As a reward for bribing the prison authorities from Rao to jail warden, Sasikala gets special menu daily, cooked by special chefs in a special kitchen near the women's cell," Roopa is said to have mentioned in the report.

The 2000 batch IPS officer is the first woman in the southern state to have been recently (June 23) appointed DIG of the prisons department.

Alleging massive irregularities and rampant corruption in the central jail on the city's southern outskirts, Roopa said drugs were being distributed to the inmates through various means and select prisoners were given special facilities.

"At least 18 of the 25 prisoners who were tested for taking drugs reported positive. From DGP to jail warden are involved in flouting the prison manual," alleged Roopa in the report.

Refuting the charges, Rao said how she found so many wrong things in three weeks of joining the department. What and how she could know of things that might have happened or not months ago as being aired quoting from her report.

"I have asked her to meet me on Friday and hand over the so-called report from which a news channel is airing her views. Where was she when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a review meeting here on Monday? Ask her?," quipped an upset Rao.

Tejashwi says didn't have moustache at time of scam; BJP not buying it

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi once again urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sack Tejashwi

RJD leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said the allegations of corruption against him were lies and a conspiracy by the BJP, led by Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after attending his first Cabinet meeting since the CBI raids against him.

Latest Current Affairs : Tejashwi, the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, argued that the allegations being levelled against him were related to events which occurred in 2004, when he was a 14-year-old minor.

Tejashwi has made it clear that he will not resign despite alliance partner and Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, calling upon him to come clean. Tejashwi has been named as an accused in a CBI case in connection with benami property.

ALSO READ: Congress reaches out to Nitish Kumar as questions linger over Bihar grand alliance

Instead, Yadav said he would go to the people to explain how and why the BJP, led by Shah and Modi, has conspired against him. "This allegation is of 2004 when I was merely 14 years old, and my moustache and beard had not begun to sprout on my face. Do you think a minor like me would have committed a scam?"

ALSO READ: Project Nitish as UPA face to save party, Ramachandra Guha advises Congress

Further, Tejashwi stressed that the grand alliance in Bihar, comprising Lalu's RJD, the Nitish-led JD (U), and Congress, remained intact.

BJP not buying Tejashwi's defence

Read Full Story >>>

Salman to compensate distributors Rs 55 cr as Tubelight fails at box office

Salman Khan's Tubelight has grossed Rs 114.50 crore on the Indian Box-Office till now

In a rarity, Salman Khan-starrer 'Tubelight' did not fare well at the Box-Office, due to which the distributors suffered huge losses.

Recently, there were reports that several producers and distributors were demanding refund from Salman.

Latest Current Affairs : According to trade analyst Komal Nahta, the 'Sultan' star has now agreed to pay the distributors.

He took to Twitter and shared the news via a tweet, in which he wrote, "SalmanKhan has agreed to refund monies to distributors to make up for losses in Tubelight Movie. A lovely gesture. That's being human!"

SalmanKhan has agreed to refund monies to distributors to make up for losses in Tubelight. A lovely gesture. That's being human!

— Komal Nahta (@KomalNahta) July 10, 2017

Reportedly, Salman Khan has agreed to pay Rs 55 crore to the distributors.

The movie has grossed Rs 114.50 crore nett on the Indian Box-Office till now.

Meanwhile, Salman is busy shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Tiger Zinda Hai'.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

#AmarnathTerrorAttack: 7 pilgrims killed, 19 injured in Anantnag

12 others, including policeman injured; attack follows J&K police bust of LeT module

Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath Terror Attack pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.

The bus bearing the registration number GJ09Z 9976 was attacked around 08.20 pm near Khanabal when it was on its way to from Srinagar Jammu, police said.

Current Affairs : Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as Hasuben Ratila Patal, Surakha Ben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeena Bhai Patal of Daman and Prajapati Champaben of Navsari, a Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson said.

Those from Maharashtra were Nirmala Ben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanla Sonkar of Danu. Police said 19 pilgrims were injured in the attack and their condition is stable.

A security official said the victims had performed the yatra two days ago and had subsequently moved to Srinagar.

On Monday, they were going from Srinagar to Jammu when they became the target of the terrorist attack. Police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which is being provided elaborate security. Read More

Also Read :

Terror attack on Amarnath yatra: Amit Shah, Kovind condemn the incident

Amarnath yatra terror attack: 5 Gujaratis, 2 from Maha killed in Kashmir

Terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims 'blot on Kashmiris', says Mehbooba Mufti

Terror attack on Amarnath yatra is the most reprehensible act: Arun Jaitley

Terror attack on Amarnath yatra is a 'crime against humanity': Sonia Gandhi

Presidential polls: PM Modi likely to address NDA MPs; Kovind may attend

The meeting is likely to take place on July 16, a day ahead of voting in the presidential election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs on July 16, a day ahead of voting in the presidential poll .

NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind may attend the meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources said on Saturday.

Kovind has been on a tour of the states meeting MPs and MLAs who are supporting his presidential bid, and may decide to interact with the NDA MPs a day before the voting for the top constitutional post, they said.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament starts from July 17, the day of the election. Proceedings in both the Houses will be adjourned for a day due to death of sitting members.

The BJP Parliamentary Party executive will also meet on July 16 and it will be followed by a meeting of NDA leaders.

The sources said an all-party meeting may also be held on the same day.

Ram Nath Kovind , who was in Madhya Pradesh today, will travel to Chhattisgarh tomorrow and be accompanied by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP general secretary Arun Singh during his meetings with supporting MPs and MLAs.

He will be in Gujarat on July 11, when BJP chief Amit Shah will also be there. He will be accompanied by BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav, the sources said.

He will be in Jharkhand on July 12 and in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan on July 13.

BJP sources said they are confident that Kovind will get over two-thirds votes in his contest against the opposition candidate Meira Kumar.

UK cancels 'Burhan Wani Day' rally in Birmingham City after India protests

Wani was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8, 2016

The Birmingham City Council has been forced to withdraw permission granted to the organisers of a rally titled "Burhan Wani Day" to mark the first death anniversary of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant/terrorist Burhan Wani here after India lodged a strong protest over the same.

Current Affairs : Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces in the Tral region of Jammu and Kashmir on July 8, 2016.

The United Kingdom has a long memory of terror attacks. For more than 30 years from the early 1970s, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a paramilitary group, carried out multiple attacks across the UK.

The deadliest were the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974, when 21 were killed. In 1996, the IRA detonated a massive 1500-kilogram (3300-pound) bomb in a Manchester shopping center that injured more than 200 and was not far from this year's terror attack in the Manchester Arena that claimed the lives of 23 adults and children and left 250 injured, 59 of whom were taken to hospital. Twenty three of these 59 had to be classified as critically injured.

For more than a decade, Islamist terrorism has overtaken Irish Republicanism as the key threat for British security services. On July 7 2005, a cell of four British Muslim suicide bombers inspired by al Qaeda detonated devices on the London transit network, killing 52.

Since 2005, successive British governments have warned the public to be on alert for terror attacks, elevating the threat level to "severe", the second highest alert.

The UK's MI5 has thwarted dozens of terrorist plots, mainly involving British-born would-be attackers, the latest of which took place on March 22, 2017 in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster in London, seat of the British Parliament. Read Full Story >>>

Modi in Israel: PM gifts two sets of relics from Kerala to Netanyahu

The relics include sets of copper plates that are believed to have been inscribed in 9-10th century

Current Affairs : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu replicas of two sets of relics from Kerala, regarded as key artefacts of the long Jewish history in India.

Modi, who arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 6 for a three-day visit, presented the relics to Netanyahu at his home.

They comprise two different sets of copper plates that are believed to have been inscribed in 9-10th Century, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The first set of copper plates is a cherished relic for the Cochin Jews in India. It is regarded as a charter describing the grant of hereditary royal privileges and prerogatives by the Hindu King, Cheraman Perumal (often identified as Bhaskara Ravi Varma) to the Jewish leader Joseph Rabban. Read Full Story

Women's Cricket: India beat Pak by 95 runs, avenge Champions Trophy loss

India scored 169/9 against Pakistan in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup

India beat Pakistan by 95 runs in their ICC Women's World Cup match on Sunday.

Current Affairs : People across the nation on Sunday celebrated the outstanding victory of the Indian women cricket team in the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 against Pakistan.

Elated Indians burnt crackers and raised slogans for the women team after the historic win against its arch-rival Pakistan.

"India's daughter has made the nation proud and has defeated Pakistan with such a big margin. The Indian women team took the revenge from Pakistan of the Champions Cup Trophy," said a local.

Another local added that the thumping victory of the team gives a message that nowadays women are not just being cornered in on four walls, but are rather coming up with lot of aims and exposures.

"People should motivate Indian Women cricket team and should welcome them like they do it with the men's team," another local added.

Spinner Ekta Bisht wreaked havoc as India thrashed arch-rival Pakistan by 95 runs in their ICC Women's World Cup encounter at United Kingdom's Derby.

Defending a lowly target of 170 runs, the Indian eves were spectacular with the ball as they didn't allow their arch-rival to claim a historic win and bowled out Pakistan for just 74 runs in 38.1 overs.

Brief Scores:

India: 169 for 9 in 50 overs

• (Punam Raut 42, Sushma Verma 33)
• (Nashra Sandhu 4/26, Sadia Yousuf 2/30).

Pakistan: 74 all out in 38.1 overs

• (Sana Mir 29, Nahida Khan 23)
• ( Ekta Bisht 5/18, Mansi Joshi 2/9).

Click here → Full Scorecard