Centre ready for talks if Hurriyat agrees: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the government was ready to hold dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference leadership if the separatists come forward for talks.

Singh, however, made it clear that so far there has been no indication from the Hurriyat that it was ready for peace talks with the government.

"I have already said that we are ready for dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir. If Hurriyat comes forward for talks, we don't mind talking to them. Whoever wants to talk with us, we are ready for talks," he told a TV channel.

On whether there was any indication from the separatists leadership for peace dialogue with the government, Singh said, "There has been no indication so far."

The government's special representative Dineshwar Sharma is holding talks with a cross section of people in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said.

Singh's comments came days after the government had announced suspension of operations against the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan that began on May 17.

Past attempts to initiate dialogue with the Hurriyat had failed after the separatists amalgam demanded declaration of Kashmir as 'disputed' and involvement of Pakistan in the dialogue.  -- PTI

The death toll due to Nipah rose to 12 in Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus in Kozhikode today.

The deceased, 75-year-old Kalyani, was undergoing treatment at the Medical college in Kozhikode since May 16, official sources said.

Two days ago, 61-year-old V Moosa had died of the virus infection.

Two members of his family had died earlier of the virus.

His eldest son had also died, but his samples were not tested.

Lini Puthussery, a nurse who had initially treated members of Moosa's affected family members at Perambra Taluk hospital in the district, also died after being infected by the virus.

About 160 samples were sent for tests to the National Virology Institute (NVI) Pune and 15 cases tested positive, health department sources said.   

Of the 15 confirmed cases, 12 people have died so far.

With samples of insectivores bats testing negative forthe virus, samples of fruit-eating bats are being collected from nearby Perambra, the epicenter of the Nipah virus, to besent for tests at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.

Experts from NIV and departments of Animal Husbandry and Forest have begun collecting samples which would be sent to NIHSAD, to test for presence of the virus in the fruit-eatingbats, Dr N N Sasi, the Director Animal Husbandry, told PTI.

Earlier, samples of three insectivorous bats caught froman unused well of the Moosa family, which lost three members to the virus, were sent to the Bhopal laboratory along withsamples of pigs, goats and cattle in the five km radius of theaffected area and all of them tested negative, he said.

"We are trying to catch fruit-eating bats from thePerambra region now," Sasi said.

According to an official, the droppings, urine andsecretions of the bats would also be sent for testing.

A Union Health Ministry advisory has said that the virus,which commonly affects animals such as bats, pigs, dogs, andhorses, can spread to humans, causing serious illness.

Spread of the virus to humans may occur after close contact with other Nipah infected people, infected bats, or infected pigs.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government has said travellers need to avoid only Kozhikode and Malappuram districts from wherethe deaths have been reported.

Earlier, the government had issued an advisory, stating that travelling to any part of Kerala was safe.

However, if travellers wished to be extra cautious, theymay avoid the four districts -- Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wynadand Kannur, it said.

The outbreak of the virus infection, which is a newlyemerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animalsand humans, is suspected to be from an unused well which wasinfested with bats.

The natural host of the virus is believed to be fruitbats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.  -- PTI

A local court in Srinagar today directed the police to submit a status report on the investigation into the hotel fracas involving Army officer Major Leetul Gogoi.

The directions came after an NGO filed an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, seeking directions to the police to furnish the status report with respect to the case.

"SHO (station house officer) Khanyar to submit report in light of the application by May 30," the CJM directed.

The application was moved by chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, J-K, Mohammad Ahsan Untoo.

On Wednesday, Gogoi was briefly detained by police in Srinagar after an altercation when he and his driver were allegedly trying to enter a hotel with an 18-year-old woman, according to a police official.

The state police has initiated an inquiry into the incident involving Gogoi, who was set free after being detained briefly.

Gogoi had sparked a row in April last year when he tied a local to his jeep and paraded him in Budgam district, apparently to escape stone pelting.

The Army has also ordered a court of inquiry into the hotel incident.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said exemplary punishment would be given to the Major if he was found guilty of 'any offence'.  -- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today said there are some 'issues' on portfolio allocation with his party's coalition partner Congress but it is not something that will pull down the government.

He also said the expansion of his cabinet would take place once state Congress leaders get an approval from their high command.

"..Portfolios have not been allocated. There are some issues regarding portfolios, but it is not an issue that will pull down the government...," Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru.

Responding to questions on portfolio allocation and demand for a farm loan waiver, he said, "I will try not to take up an issue as a prestige issue and try to solve a problem.. Otherwise I will see. I will not stick to this post, leaving my self esteem."

Parleys began between the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular on the issue of Cabinet expansion soon after Kumaraswamy proved his three-day-old government's majority on the floor of the assembly yesterday.

Karnataka Congress leaders today left for New Delhi by a chartered plane to discuss with the high command the issues relating to cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation.

According to sources, Kumaraswamy had met former chief minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara and Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal before they left for Delhi.

The chief minister also clarified that he would not be going to Delhi to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.

"State Congress leaders have to get approval from their central leadership, that's the reason they are going to Delhi today. Once they come back cabinet expansion will happen smoothly," he said.

It has already been decided that Congress would have 22 ministers and JD-S 12 in the new cabinet.

Kumaraswamy hit out at state Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddurappa for his call to support the party's state-wide bandh call on Monday for alleged failure of the government in announcing farm loan waiver as promised by him earlier.

"I'm with you (people). I don't have any personal wish. I have become the chief minister not with a selfish motive...," he said, noting that there was 'no question' of going back on his announcement earlier on farm loan waiver.

He said he had already spoken to Congress leaders on the issue of farm loan waiver as he had to take them into confidence.

"I should also understand the financial situation before taking the decision. I cannot do it alone," he added.  -- PTI

United Nations Environment Programme chief Erik Solheim today expressed concern over the death of 13 people in police firing during violent protests against the Vedanta group's copper smelter plant in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district.

The UNEP executive director general said he was 'worried' and hoped that protests would remain non-violent.

"We are concerned over this and paying our condolence to those who have lost their lives," he said.

"Let me say my prayers and extend my condolences to the families of those who died. This shall not happen," Solheim said, during a media interaction in Kochi.

Protests should be without violence and the police should not use force, he said.

"We are very worried and hope that solutions can be found," the UN official said, when asked about his views on the killing of people protesting against the copper plant on May 22.

Solheim, who was in Kochi to visit the Cochin international airport, the world's first fully solar-powered airport, called for a 'dialogue with the people' before implementing infrastructure projects.

He also emphasised the need for environmental protection when going ahead with such projects. Violence erupted in Tuticorin on May 22 and 23 as locals took to streets, demanding closure of the copper factory over pollution concerns.

In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, Vedanta said the Tamil Nadu pollution control board had on May 23 ordered disconnection of electricity supply and closure of the copper plant.  -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally in Cuttack, Odisha.

- It is my good fortune that I got the opportunity to greet my 125 crore countrymen from the land of great Lord Jagannath.

- Great freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born in this holy land.

- Your aspirations, dreams and hopes is what makes me keep working.

- Many who are in the National Democratic Alliance government have lived in poverty and that is why betterment of the poor is their biggest priority.

- It is a government whose President, Vice President and Pradhan Sevak, all have lived in poverty.

- In these four years, the 125 crore Indian have come to believe that our India can change. Today the nation is going from 'Kala Dhan to 'Jan Dhan', from bad governance to good governance.  -- ANI

Police in Canada were today looking for the two suspects who detonated a powerful bomb inside an Indian restaurant in Ontario province, leaving 15 people injured, media reports said.

The two suspects with their faces covered entered the Bombay Bhel restaurant late on Thursday night, dropped the improvised explosive device and fled, police said.

The restaurant is in Mississauga, about 28 km from here. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concern over the incident on Twitter.

'We're in solidarity with the victims of this violence, and wish a swift recovery to the injured. We're working closely with police and officials in Mississauga on this,' Trudeau said in a tweet.

Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans has said that there is no indication that the explosion was an act of terrorism or hate crime.

"There is no indication that this is a terrorism act. There is no indication that this is a hate crime at this time. We haven't ruled anything out as we start our investigation," Evans was quoted as saying by the Canadian broadcaster CBC.

The focus of police is now on finding the two men and identifying just what motivated the attack while two separate private parties were underway, the report said.

"I want to assure everyone that every police resource is being used to locate the people responsible for this horrendous act," Evans said.

A 35-year-old Brampton man, a 48-year-old Mississauga woman and a 62-year-old Mississauga woman suffered critical injuries and were rushed to a Toronto trauma centre, according to Peel Region paramedics.

All three have since been released from hospital, the report said.

The remaining 12 victims who were treated for minor injuries ranged in age from 23 to 69, police said.

Approximately 40 people were inside at the time, including several children under age 10, it said, adding that no children were hurt.

Meanwhile, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie extended her sympathies to the victims, saying she was thankful there were no fatalities as a result of the 'heinous' crime.

'This is certainly not anything you would expect to happen in Mississauga, not my Mississauga. This is not the Mississauga I know,' she was quoted as saying in the report.

Peel Regional Police said they received a call about the incident at 10.32 pm (local time on Thursday), (0800 IST yesterday). Mississauga is Canada's sixth largest city.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that Indian missions in Canada are working round the clock after the blast.

Police has issued CCTV footage of the two suspects.

"Two parties fled the scene immediately after the incident. First described as male, 5'10-6feet, stocky build, mid-20s, light skin, wearing dark blue jeans, dark zip up hoodie pulled over head, baseball cap with light grey peak, face covered with black cloth material.

"Second male described as 5'9"-5'10", fair skin, thin build, faded blue jeans, dark zip-up hoodie hood pulled over head, grey t-shirt, dark coloured skate shoes, face covered. Looking for public's assistance in identifying the parties that fled following the explosion," police said.  -- PTI

JUST IN: North and South Korean leaders meet again at border village to discuss United States-North Korean summit.  -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a plaque at the Clifford Pier in Singapore next week to commemorate the immersion of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes in the country's waters.

Modi will arrive Singapore on May 31 on a three-day visit.

In 1948, Gandhi's ashes were sent to various parts of India and the world, including Singapore.

Clifford Pier was Singapore's sea front landmark under the colonial government.

It had since been renovated and currently serves as a restaurant under the same namesake 'The Clifford Pier', offering a selection of local, Asian and Western dishes under the operations of The Fullerton Bay Hotel.

The plaque to be unveiled on June 2 will underline the strongly growing ties between the two countries.

The prime minister will also interact with the local representatives after the plaque unveiling.

He will visit three temples on South Bridge Road to highlight the old links between India and Singapore.

These temples were built by early Indian settlers in Singapore as community projects over a century ago and now regarded as national monuments.

Modi will also visit the Indian Heritage Centre in Little India to see the exhibit and inaugurate a permanent platform for Indian craftsmen to visit Singapore from India for short durations to exhibit their work.

Little India is a precinct of Indian-origin small businesses.  -- PTI

The United Kingdom's Opposition, Labour Party, has called for Vedanta to be delisted from the London Stock Exchange following the death of 13 people during violent protests against the mining giant in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.

John McDonnell, the UK's Shadow Chancellor, said removing Vedanta Resources from the London financial markets would prevent reputational damage from the 'rogue' company which has been operating 'illegal' mining concerns for years.

'After the massacre of the protestors this week, regulators must now take action. Vedanta must be immediately delisted from the London Stock Exchange to remove its cloak of respectability, restore confidence in the governance of the Stock Exchange, and prevent further reputational damage to London's financial markets from this rogue corporation,' McDonnell said in a statement on Friday.

Violent protests had erupted in Tuticorin on Tuesday as locals took to the streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

'The news from Tamil Nadu that 13 protestors against Vedanta have been killed is shocking and demands action. This is a major multinational company that for years has operated illegal mining concerns, trashing the environment and forcibly evicting local people,' he said.

The statement from the senior Labour MP, who highlighted that campaigners and international NGOs like Amnesty International have accused Vedanta of a string of human rights and environmental abuses in India, Zambia and across the globe, came as protesters are preparing to stage a major protest against Vedanta outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday afternoon.

Hundreds of protesters mobilised by groups such as Foil Vedanta, Tamil People in the UK, Periyar Ambedkar Study Circle, South Asia Solidarity Group, Tamil Solidarity, Parai Voice of Freedom and Veera Tamilar Munnani will stage protests alongside worldwide action to condemn the Tamil Nadu state government's 'collusion' in what they have termed as 'corporate massacre'.

Samarendra Das from Foil Vedanta also called on the UK government to investigate and delist this company.

'For 15 years since Vedanta's London listing we have been warning the British government that this criminal company is undermining democracy across India and in Zambia whilst gaining a 'cloak of respectability' from London. This corporate massacre on a peaceful environmental movement must be the last straw,' he said.

Karthik Kamalakannan from Tamil People in UK added: "It is disgusting to learn that a British company has put its profits above human cries for safe air to breathe and water to drink.

"The leaders of this peaceful environmental movement have been targeted by snipers, which is no surprise knowing reputation of Vedanta against any uprising against them. The Internet blackout in Tuticorin destroys all semblance of democracy. This is a sad time for Tamil people."

The groups are calling on the British government to launch an inquiry into the 'multiple legal, environmental and human rights violations' by Vedanta Resources.

Vedanta Resources' subsidiary Sterlite Copper has begun construction of a new 4-million tonne/year smelter on the edge of the town of Tuticorin, almost doubling their capacity, but residents argue the existing smelter has continuously polluted their water and air since it was established in 1996.

They claim it has led to respiratory and skin problems, fainting and other illness, especially among children.

Activists also claim that Sterlite obtained its environmental clearance illegally by falsifying information to statutory authorities, while the existing plant is regularly found to be dumping toxic waste in the town, and operating without proper licenses.

The plant releases its waste into the sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, an area of coral reefs and mangrove forests, the protesters claim.

Sterlite was the first company set up by Agarwal in India before he launched Vedanta Resources on the London Stock Exchange in 2003, which is now a multinational FTSE 250 company with operations across India and Africa.

Vedanta has previously denied that the smelter has been responsible for air and water pollution.

The company said it is working with authorities to restore power to the plant, which has been offline since late March.

"I assure you that I am committed to the environment, the people of Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu, and we will abide by the law of the land. It is with your wish that we would like to continue this business," Agarwal said in a video message.  -- PTI

Pakistan's powerful army has summoned former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asad Durrani on May 28 to seek clarification over a book he co-authored with India's ex-spy chief A S Dulat, accusing him of 'violating' the military code of conduct.

Lieutenant General Durrani (retd) , who headed the ISI agency from August 1990 till March 1992, along with Dulat has written The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace.

The book was released on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Army in a statement said that Durrani, 77, was being called to General Headquarters (GHQ) on May 28 and 'will be asked to explain his position on views attributed to him in book Spy Chronicles''.

'Attribution taken as violation of Military Code of Conduct applicable on all serving and retired military personnel,' according to the statement issued last night.

Durrani was summoned after ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday demanded an urgent meeting of the high-powered National Security Committee to discuss the content of the book.

Durrani made certain observations in the book, including a claim that then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was fully on board regarding the Abbottabad US Navy Seals operation against Osama Bin Laden and that a special deal had been struck between the US and Pakistani governments over it, media reports said.

He also went on to suggest that Pakistan mishandled the case of Indian national Kulbushan Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on spying charges. Former chairman Pakistan Senate Raza Rabbani criticised the book by rival spy chiefs.

"Had a politician done the same thing he would have been labelled a traitor," he said.  -- PTI

Harvey Weinstein, who was arrested and arraigned on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him, has been released on $1 million bail.

According to USA Today, the disgraced Hollywood producer also agreed to wear a GPS tracker and to surrender his passport after turning himself in to police on Friday.

Weinstein was carrying three books, including Todd Purdum's Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution, as he got out of a black SUV and walked past the swarm of TV cameras and reporters and through the front door of the New York Police Department's First Precinct in Manhattan yesterday.

His is defense attorney Benjamin Brafman told reporters that Weinstein would enter a not guilty plea.

"Mr Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual behavior with anyone. Nothing about today's proceedings changes Mr Weinstein's position. He has entered a plea of not guilty and fully expects to be exonerated," Brafman was quoted as saying in the US media.

"We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges. We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence, and we believe that at the end of the process Mr Weinstein will be exonerated," Brafman, one of US' renowned criminal defense attorneys, told reporters outside the courthouse.

More than 100 women, including prominent Hollywood celebrities such as Gywneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman and Asia Argento, have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including rape with some allegations dating back to decades.

Weinstein's career saw a sudden downfall last October following an expose by The New York Times and New Yorker magazine.

The criminal sex act charge against Weinstein stems from an encounter with Lucia Evans, who told The New Yorker and then investigators from the Manhattan district attorney's office that Hollywood producer forced her to perform oral sex on him during what she thought would be a casting meeting.

The victim in the rape case has not been publicly identified.  -- PTI

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who was accused of sexual harassment by several women, has issued a longer statement in response to the allegations saying he 'did not create unsafe work environments'.

The 80-year-old actor said he is 'devastated' by the reports.

'I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday's media reports. All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humour,' he said in a statement.

The actor added, 'I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women -- and men -- feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologised Thursday and will continue to apologize to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally.'

Freeman said that he 'did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false'.

The actor had apologised on Thursday after he was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments and behaviour by eight women.

According to an investigation by CNN, the Freeman's alleged inappropriate behaviour occurred on-set with female members of the production staff, with employees at Revelations Entertainment (the production company the actor started in 1996 with business partner Lori McCreary) -- and with reporters.  -- PTI

The Central Board of Secondary Education has announced results for Class 12.

Overall pass percentage is 83.01 per cent and the top three regions are Trivandrum (97.32 per cent), Chennai (93.87 per cent) and Delhi (89 per cent).

Meghna Srivastava, from Ghaziabad, has topped the exams with 499 marks out of 500.  -- ANI

Image only for representation.

After 4 years :