THE WEEK morning brief: Security high in Assam, Modi to open Manorama Conclave

Security high in Assam ahead of NRC publication tomorrow

Security is high in Assam with Section 144 of the CrPC in force in some areas, as the state prepares for the publication of the final list of the National Register of Citizens on Saturday. The NRC aims to identify legal citizens and residents of the state and weed out illegal immigrants.

Army chief in Srinagar to review law and order

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat will visit Srinagar on Friday, for the first time since Article 370 was abrogated. General Rawat will be in the Kashmir valley and will take stock of the Amy's preparedness to deal with any law and order situation in the region in the wake of threat of escalation in tension between India and Pakistan.

Technical meeting on opening of Kartarpur Corridor

Pakistan and India will hold a technical meeting on Friday regarding the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, connecting Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district. The corridor facilitates visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev.

Chidambaram's CBI custody period ends today

Former Union minister P. Chidambaram will be produced in a special CBI court on Friday as his custody period ends. The CBI is expected to seek extended custody of Chidambaram. On Thursday, Chidambaram made an unprecedented offer to remain in CBI custody until September 2.

Chidambaram was arrested on August 21 in the INX Media case. On Thursday, the Supreme Court had reserved its order on a plea by Chidambaram seeking protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money launder case in the INX Media matter.

PM Modi to inaugurate Manorama News Conclave

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Manorama News Conclave, being held in Kochi, from New Delhi via videoconferencing. Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar would deliver the keynote address on 'New India—the government and media'. Experts from various fields would join the discussions that would be spread across eight sessions throughout the day. Discussions would be held on varied topics like new Indian nationalist, politics, new boundaries of belief, youth, and opportunities for Kerala.

Chandrayaan-2 to perform another orbit-reducing manoeuvre

Chandrayaan-2 will be more closer to the moon with the next manoeuvre in lunar orbit scheduled between 6-7pm pm on Friday. The Vikram lander's pre-landing manoeuvres will begin on September 1.

India-West Indies 2nd Test from today

India will begin the second and last Test of its ongoing tour of the West Indies on Friday in Kingston, Jamaica. India had crushed the home side by 318 runs in the first Test, with Jasprit Bumrah picking up five wickets in the second innings, while Ajinkya Rahane returned to form with a century. Virat Kohli may have to decide between playing R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the spinner's slot for the match.

US Open: Serena, Federer, Djokovic to play today

Both Serena Williams and Roger Federer will have third round matches at the US Open on Friday. Federer will play Dan Evans of the UK, while Williams will clash with Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.

World number 1 Novak Djokovic will play Denis Kudla of the US later in the day.

Source

Final NRC list tomorrow, security tightened in Assam

Security measures have been tightened across Assam and prohibitory orders under 144 Cr PC have been clamped on Thursday in vulnerable areas of the state, including in the capital city ahead of the publication of the final NRC, which is touted as the proof of Assamese identity, police officials said.

The final NRC list, which will identify the bonafide citizens of the state, is scheduled to be declared on August 31.

The steps have been taken by the district administration to maintain peace and public order ahead of after the publication of the contentious list and will remain in force till further notice, officials said.

This has been done as some specified and unspecified persons, groups, organisations or associations are likely to disturb normal functioning of offices, movement of public and traffic flow in the vulnerable areas, besides holding demonstrations and agitations, they said.

In Guwahati the prohibitory order was clamped in Dispur, where the secretariat and Assembly complexes are located, besides at Bhangagarh, Basistha, Hatigaon, Sonapur and Khetri police station areas, the police said.

Section 144 Cr PC prohibits assembly of more than five persons, agitation, demonstration, procession inciting communal violence, carrying of arms, ammunition, explosive substances or weapon of any nature in any public placers or vehicles as well as use of loud speakers.

The state police on Thursday appealed to the people not to believe in rumours as some elements are trying to create confusion.

The government has ensured adequate safeguards for people, whose name may not appear in the final NRC, it said.

"Safety of citizens is our top priority," the Assam police tweeted.

The force also issued a five-point advisory stating that persons whose names are not in the NRC will not be declared as foreigners and can appeal to the Foreigners Tribunals.

The time limit for doing so has been increased form 60 days to 120 days and the government will provide legal aid through the district legal service authority to the needy who are excluded from the NRC. Besides, the number of Foreigners Tribunals have been increased and are being set up at convenient locations.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had on August 23 reviewed the law and order situation of the state with the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police where he had directed them to maintain close relations with the influential persons and opinion makers to ensure that there is no misunderstanding among the people about the NRC process.

Appealing to the people to maintain peace, he said, "A government is there in Assam to look after people's interest. All are living here with unity and honour ... We are confident that all sections of society will come forward to maintain peace and tranquility for all times to come".

Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th Century, is the only state in the country to have the updation of the NRC after 1951. The exercise this time is being carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

In the complete draft of the NRC, which was published in July last year, names of 40,07,707 people were excluded. It had which contained nbames of 2,89,83,677 eligible persons out of a total 3,29,91,384 applicants.

Names of additional 1,02,462 persons were included in the list of excluded persons in June this year taking the total ineligible persons to 41,10,169 in the complete draft. 

Source

Indian-origin anti-Brexit campaigner goes to court over Parliament suspension

A prominent Indian-origin campaigner, who had mounted a successful legal challenge to prevent former British premier Theresa May triggering the Brexit without Parliament's approval, has filed an urgent judicial review application over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament.

Gina Miller branded as cowardly Johnson's announcement that Parliament would be suspended from the week of September 9 until October 14, giving MPs hardly any time to debate Brexit before the October 31 deadline for the UK to leave the 28-member economic bloc. 

Her urgent legal challenge came as Wednesday's announcement sparked a major backlash, triggering impromptu protests in London and over a million signing an online petition against the move.

All right-minded Britons, who believe in the rule of law and the preservation of Britain's internationally respected and democratic traditions, will share my profound sense of dismay at the cynical and cowardly prorogation of Parliament, said Miller.

I urge our courts to urgently hear my application for Judicial Review before 9 September 2019  the earliest date that prorogation of Parliament could come into effect, she said.

The 53-year-old investment fund manager, born Gina Nadira Singh in British Guiana (now Guyana) to Guyana's former Attorney-General Doodnauth Singh, had already issued a legal letter of warning to Johnson in the lead up to the prime ministerial leadership contest last month. 

She had called him out on his failure at the time to rule out proroguing Parliament in order to meet the October 31 Brexit deadline.

"I have received legal correspondence from the Government Legal Department in the last two weeks stating that the whole issue of prorogation is of no more than academic' interest. It is, sadly, all too clearthat prorogation is a desperate reality, not a mere theoretical nicety, Miller said.

As someone who has been the face of the legal battle over parliamentary supremacy in the aftermath of Britain's vote in favour of leaving the EU in June 2016, she explained that the basis of her latest approach to the courts is that it cannot be legitimate or a proper use of the prerogative power to prorogue Parliament when the intention and effect inherent in doing so is to frustrate Parliament and prevent it from exercising its sovereign right to fulfil its elective role and enact any law it sees fit.

On Wednesday, Johnson said that he plans to have a Queen's Speech  the setting out of the formal parliamentary business by any new government  after the suspension, on October 14, to outline his "very exciting agenda" and insisted he simply did not want to wait until after Brexit "before getting on with our plans to take this country forward".

But the Opposition parties and those campaigning against a feared no-deal Brexit branded his move a blatant attempt at rail-roading Britain's exit from the EU by blocking MPs from tabling motions to prevent a damaging Brexit.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described Johnson's move as "a smash-and-grab on our democracy" in order to force through no-deal by leaving MPs without enough time to pass laws in Parliament. He has pledged to try to stop the suspension.

The leader of the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, said Johnson was denying people their voice through their representatives in Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit.

Meanwhile, members of the public gathered near the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday carrying anti-Brexit placards and EU flags and chanting "stop the coup". The last-minute demonstration attracted hundreds as they started outside Parliament before spreading towards Downing Street.

An e-petition on the government's official website demanding Parliament not be suspended reached more than a million signatures in less than a day. A snap opinion poll by YouGov found 47 per cent of British adults thought the decision was unacceptable, with 27 per cent saying it was acceptable and 27 per cent unsure. But it found the suspension was supported by Brexiteers, with 51 per cent of people who voted to Leave the EU approving of Johnson's actions. 

Source

Trump cancels Poland trip as hurricane Dorian barrels down to Florida

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is cancelling his weekend trip to Poland so that he can spend time in the country as hurricane Dorian barrels down to Florida.

"To ensure that all resources of the federal government are focused on the arriving storm, I have decided to send our Vice President, Mike Pence, to Poland this weekend, in my place," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"It's something very important for me to be here. The storm looks like it could be a very, very big one indeed. And Mike will be going," he said. 

Hurricane Dorian is expected to hit Florida coast by Monday with torrential rain and windspeed of 209 km per hour.

Trump was scheduled to leave for Poland on Friday. He spoke to Polish President Andrzej Duda to inform him about cancelling the visit.

"I've just spoken to President Duda of Poland, and expressed to him my warmest wishes and the wishes of the American people. Our highest priority is the safety and security of the people in the path of the hurricane. And I will be rescheduling my trip to Poland in the near future," Trump said.

Source

US Open: Serena survives upset bid; shoulder-trouble for Djokovic

Serena Williams withstood a "rough and rowdy" challenge from 17-year-old American wildcard Caty McNally at the US Open on Wednesday to keep her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title intact.

Williams, a six-time champion in New York, recovered from dropping the opening set to prevail 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 and set up a third-round showdown with either 29th seed Hsieh Su-Wei or Karolina Muchova.

McNally, who hadn't been born when Williams won her first Slam at the 1999 US Open, threatened a struggling Williams from the start before the 37-year-old won nine of the last 11 games to escape under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Meanwhile, defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic complained of feeling "quite rough and unpredictable" as a nagging shoulder problem hampered him during Wednesday's second-round win over Juan Ignacio Londero.

The world number one received medical treatment to his left shoulder throughout the match on his way to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 win and said he feared the injury could have forced him to retire.

"It was not easy to play with this kind of sensation, to be honest. I did not experience that too many times in my career," Djokovic said.

"I had obviously, you saw, a medical timeout. At changeovers, I tried to use within the rules as much as I can physiotherapy and medical help. That has definitely helped me stay in the match.

"The way it has started for me, especially midway through the first set, I didn't know if I would be able to finish the match."

Djokovic, who is attempting to become the first back-to-back men's champion here since Roger Federer won from 2004-2008, said the problem affected both his serve and backhand. He also revealed it was an issue he has been dealing with for "quite a while".

Top seed Djokovic, who has won four of the past five majors, and 16 overall, will play the winner between 27th seed Dusan Lajovic and American Denis Kudla in the third round on Friday and suggested he would "freeze" his arm for the next 48 hours in the hopes of recovering.

Source

India-WI Test: Focus on Pant as India eye another clean sweep

Rishabh Pant will be desperate to pay back the faith reposed in him by the team management when India look to steamroll West Indies with another dominant show in the second World Test championship encounter starting at Kingston, Jamaica, on Friday.

Having won the first Test by 318 runs, India are runaway favourites going into the second and final match at the Sabina Park against a team that neither showed the resolve nor the aptitude required to put up a sustained fight in five-day cricket.

"The conditions here are good and the pitch also looks good. We are expecting another good performance," bowling coach Bharath Arun said on Wednesday.

Jasprit Bumrah (match haul of 6 wickets) and Ishant Sharma (8 wickets) exposed the opposition's technical frailties and they will be gunning for more in the second game.

It is unlikely that India will be tinkering with their playing XI after a big win even though Pant's form has been a bit of a concern of late.

More than the runs scored, it is the manner of his dismissals that is causing frustration, considering that the Indian cricket establishment has invested heavily in the 21-year-old from Rourkee.

His sequence of scores across formats during this current tour has been 0, 4, 65 not out, 20, 0, 24, 7.

With veteran Wriddhiman Saha back in the dressing room and the gutsy Kona Bharat waiting in the wings, Pant can ill-afford to take things for granted, especially the kind that one saw in the second innings of the first Test.

The pressure was completely off after India took a handsome lead. What the side required from the flamboyant left-hander was something in the range of a solid 30 not out but what it got instead was another impetuous shot.

The slog sweep has brought about his downfall more often than not and save a fifty in the dead rubber in the T20 series, he has done precious little with the bat.

Opener Mayank Agarwal wasn't in his elements either in the first Test but it is expected that he would get another opportunity, which he rightfully deserves having worked hard in Australia.

The Indian middle-order performed admirably with Ajinkya Rahane back in form with an under-pressure half-century and a century.

Hanuma Vihari also justified his selection with a 93 in the second innings, meaning that Rohit Sharma's wait to make the side could just get a bit longer.

However, Agarwal would be on his toes.

He may not get too many opportunities if the team management decides to fit in an impact player like Rohit at the top of the order alongside K.L. Rahul in the coming Test series against South Africa at home.

While Rohit's technique against the moving red ball is a bit suspect but in the sub-continent, he could prove to be a handful.

The pace bowling was near flawless in the first game with Ishant and Bumrah looking menacing with five-wicket hauls each. Even Mohammed Shami was very effective in short bursts while Ravindra Jadeja proved his utility as an all-rounder.

"Seamers are at their best when they are getting wickets. The five-wicket haul for both (Ishant and Bumrah) of them will give them tremendous confidence. Also Shami looked good whenever he was given the ball and it augurs well for the team," Arun said.

For West Indies, there hasn't been much to write home about as none of their players even got a half-century in two innings.

Talented players like Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope didn't measure up while the normally dependable Roston Chase also looked out of sorts in the second innings.

The only saving grace for them was the new ball pair of Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach, who bowled their hearts out without much support from others.

Teams

India:

Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

West Indies:

Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rakheem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach.

Match starts at 7 pm IST.

Source

Linking Aadhaar with electoral rolls will create Delhi, Mumbai Analyticas: Justice Srikrishna

In an event organised by Mozilla and Internet Freedom Foundation at the India International Centre, retired Justice B.N. Srikrishna said he was not happy with a number of things the government was handling. The event commemorated the second year of the Puttaswamy judgment of Supreme Court, which held right to privacy as a fundamental right. "I had given a draft bill [data protection], but do not know what the official government stance is now," he said, reported Bar and Bench. "If you can collate data," he said, "you can profile humans."

The draft data protection bill 2018, drafted by a high-level panel headed by Justice Srikrishna, imposes (European Union's) GDPR-like restrictions on fiduciaries storing user data. The bill moots seeking "explicit consent" for processing 'sensitive personal information' like religious or political beliefs, sexual orientation and biometric details, defines obligations of data processors as also rights of individuals, and proposed penalties for violation. It also restricts and imposes conditions on the cross-border transfer of personal data, which should be stored within the country.

He spoke on the government drive to link Aadhaar with electoral rolls. "I do not think that is a good idea. Like Cambridge Analytica, we will have Delhi Analytica, Mumbai Analytica," he said, reported Bar and Bench.

#Privacy: On drive to link Aadhaar with electoral rolls:

"Dont think that is a good idea. Like Cambridge Analytica, we will have Delhi analytica, Mumbai analytica", Srikrishna J.

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) August 24, 2019

A muscular scheme to link Aadhaar and the electoral rolls is indeed underway. On August 18, the Election Commission had asked the government to give it statutory backing to collect Aadhaar numbers of new applicants and existing voters to check multiple entries in electoral rolls. In a letter to the law ministry, the Commission has proposed that provisions of the Representation of the People Act be amended to allow the EC to seek Aadhaar numbers of those applying to be voters and those who are already part of voters list. In August 2015, a Supreme Court order on Aadhaar card has put brakes on the Election Commission's project to link Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) (Aadhaar) numbers with voters' electoral data to check multiple entries in electoral rolls.

Apart from electoral rolls, state governments are also pushing for Aadhaar to be linked to social media accounts like Facebook, so as to ensure proper identification and verification procedures. Multiple petitions related to the same are being heard in Madras, Bombay and Madhya Pradesh High Courts. Facebook Inc had pleaded for transfer of all the cases to the Supreme Court. Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government told the bench that the Madras High Court has conducted 18 hearings so far and it should be allowed to conclude the argument and deliver the verdict in the cases.

Senior advocates Mukul Mohatgi and Kapil Sibal, appearing for Facebook and WhatsApp respectively, said whether service providers can be asked to share data with probe agencies to help them in criminal investigation needs to be decided by the apex court as it will have a global effect. They said that both Facebook and WhatsApp are international companies having their operation in over 150 countries and any findings by the Madras High Court would have a bearing on their global operations. 

Venugopal referred to the Blue Whale game and said several young lives were lost due to directions given by the curator. He said governments did not get any clue about the curator in the Blue Whale game and therefore, it is necessary to find out who is the originator of such messages on social media which are defamatory, terror-oriented or fake news. 

Source

Atos, C-DAC to collaborate on quantum computing, AI

Tech firm Atos on Monday said it has signed a cooperation agreement with C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) for technology advancement in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and exascale computing.

The partnership encompasses creation of a 'Quantum Computing Experience Centre' at C-DAC's headquarters in Pune, a statement said. It aims to bring together users from academic, scientific, research and industry to rapidly acquire skills and develop further expertise in the field of quantum computing with the support from the Government of India, it added.

The centre will enable advance study of applications of quantum theory, thereby creating new technologies and platforms for information security, connectivity and computing, it said.

Set up in 1988 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as a premier R&D organization, C-DAC has been carrying out R&D activities in IT, Electronics and associated areas.

Though originally established to built Supercomputers in the backdrop of denial of import of Supercomputers by USA, different areas of C-DAC emerged at different times, many of which came out as a result of identification of opportunities.

Dr Hemant Darbari, the founder member and director general of C-DAC, is spearheading the C-DAC mission mode Programs on quantum computing and AI.

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with over 110,000 employees, having operations in 73 countries with annual revenue of over $12.21 billion.

With Atos vast technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence domain, this cooperation agreement outlines the way Atos and C-DAC could jointly work on technology development AI projects—including using AI to enhance the efficiency of HPC systems; running AI workloads on HPC systems and creating an ecosystem of AI devices dedicated to accelerating or concentrating inference execution near the edge.

“Building on our position as the leading technology provider globally for Supercomputing, AI, Quantum Computing and others, this agreement is a significant step forward in our strategic relationship,” said Pierre Barnabé, SEVP, Head of Big Data & Security at Atos.

Source

Manju Warrier says she has always been a fan of Dhanush

After being stranded for days in Himachal Pradesh, Mollywood actor Manju Warrier is back to being busy with her upcoming movie.

She was spotted at the audio launch event of Asuran held in Chennai on Wednesday. Written and directed by Vetri Maaran, the film marks the debut of Manju Warrier in Kollywood.

The movie, also starring Dhanush, Balaji Sakthivel and Prakash Raj, is based on the novel 'Vekkai' by Poomani.

Manju kept it simple and looked elegant and graceful in a grey and red churidar. Dhanush was seen in a white shirt and mundu.

At the launch, Manju stated that the film was indeed a special one for her. “It was indeed a big affair to have stepped into Tamil industry with a film which had a strong team. Director Vetrimaran had done just a few films but each time he comes with a film, he manages to leave his signature.”

Talking about her co-star Dhanush, she said, “He was a very dear friend earlier and now he has become my favourite co-actors. I have always been his biggest fan. I should thank him the most for making me feel at home. Everyone really enjoyed making this film. I am very sure that you will all like this movie and I do hope that you all will like me as well.”

The producer of the movie Kalaipuli S. Thanu also applauded Manju Warrier for her generous nature. “Manju completed the film with just the advance amount and didn't ask any question on the remaining payment. It was in fact me who has been forcing her to get the pending salary,” he said.

Dhanush also lavished praises on Manju Warrier. He said, “Though I know her for a long time, it is just with Asuran that we got a chance to work with her. While I was doing Kadhal Kondaein, Nagesh sir used to tell me that one should always watch out for actors with effortless performance. He told me that their performance will not be felt on the sets but they are the best ones. I felt the same while acting with Manju Warrier. No matter what's around her, she can switch on and switch off her character with ease but I can't do that," said the actor.

The movie is slated to hit screens on October 4. 

Source

I haven't done enough acting: Pankaj Kapur

With a career spanning over 30 years and having acted different shades of characters including dark and comic roles, or a common man struggling against the system, actor-director Pankaj Kapur believes he hasn't done enough and wants to explore more.

"There are millions of people in the world, I have only played a few of them. And I don't think I have done enough, I would like to explore more.

"So I look forward to doing many more characters, as long as I am fit and alive. I enjoy playing different kind of people," Kapur said.

Be it the villainy personified Abba ji of Maqbool, or the envious shopkeeper Nand Kishore Khatri of The Blue Umbrella, for Kapur there are no favourite characters, only the wish to be known for the "sum total" of his work. "All the characters I have played were difficult. There is nothing that comes easy. I don't have any single character that is my favourite because I would like to be known for the sum total of my work and not for an individual character that I might have played," the actor said.

The veteran theatre, TV, and Bollywood actor will be performing at the third edition of Delhi Theatre Festival, organised by Alchemist Live.

Kapur, along with actor and his wife Supriya Pathak, will direct and act in the opening play Dreamz Sehar at Siri Fort Auditorium here on August 30.

Dreamz Sehar is a story of professor Sanjeev Mishra who visits Kasauli for a long weekend. One day on his morning walk, he encounters a mysterious woman named Sehar. She is out looking for her sister Nisha who has eloped with her boyfriend. The sequences mirror dream-like sequences where every scene has an ominous and mysterious quality.

The actor, who has worked extensively in theatre, both as an actor and a director, feels the medium has an edge over other forms like TV and cinema. However, to him it is the acting that matters. "I love acting, and I love creativity. For me, all the mediums are enjoyable. It is satisfying in every medium mostly because I am acting, I am performing. But theatre has a slight edge, there is a live audience in front of you.

"In theatre there is a certain discipline that you have to follow, and you have to be experienced to be performing in front of a live audience. It is satisfying to me. That's the only tiny difference. As far as acting is concerned, for me all the mediums where I work as an actor is just the same," he added.

Known for his role as the frustrated common man Musaddilal in "Office Office", or the bonded labourer Budhai Ram of Neem ka Ped, the National Award-winning actor rued the lack of characters he could relate with on television. "The kind of television work that is happening right now, I don't relate to it as an actor or as a human being. Therefore I don't find myself a place in television anymore. I love the medium, it's a great medium. But it's a bit stressful, because you know how these daily soaps are these days," the 65-year-old actor said.

He added that even though it was stressful to shoot 10-12 days in a stretch earlier too, the variety of characters kept him going.

"In my time I never did daily soaps, we did weeklies. In that too, I used to find it very stressful to shoot for 10-12 days for those four episodes... But we did it because I got an opportunity to do different kinds of characters through television. "But now the way the stories are, the way the whole thing is, I don't find myself to be a part of that. But in case somebody comes up with something of the kind that might appeal to me as an actor I will surely look at it," he added.

Kapur will also act in a play titled Dopehri, written and directed by himself at the Delhi Theatre Festival.

Source

Pak Army chief discusses situation in Kashmir with top Chinese general

Pakistan and China have signed an MoU for the enhancement of defence cooperation and capacity building of the Pakistani Army, as the top generals of the two armies discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

China's Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman Xu Qiliang visited the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi with a high-level delegation on Monday and held a one-on-one meeting with Pakistan's Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. 

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security, avenues to enhance bilateral defence collaboration, and particularly the situation in Kashmir were discussed, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of Pakistan's military said.

Bajwa appreciated its all-weather ally China's understanding and support on all important issues particularly Kashmir.

The visiting general said China "greatly values its time tested relations with Pakistan and its Army and is looking forward to further solidify this relation", according to the ISPR statement.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the two sides for enhancement of defence cooperation and capacity building of the Pakistan Army. 

Later, General Xu called on Prime Minister Imran Khan who underlined the unique quality of the time-tested, Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, describing it as an anchor for peace and stability in the region and beyond. 

"It was agreed that Pakistan and China would continue to closely consult and coordinate for the promotion of peace and stability in the region and maintenance of strategic balance," the prime minister's office said.

Khan also highlighted India's actions on Kashmir and thanked China for supporting Pakistan's approach to the UN Security Council. 

General Xu conveyed cordial greetings of President Xi Jinping, as well as that of Premier Li Keqiang, and reaffirmation of China's full support to Pakistan, particularly at this crucial juncture.

Underscoring the importance of the time-tested China-Pakistan strategic partnership, he conveyed the Chinese leadership's commitment to the time-honoured tradition of both countries supporting each other on issues of core national interest.  

He reiterated Beijing's resolve to work for further strengthening China-Pakistan ties in a broad range of areas. Xu underlined that the South Asia region needed stability and economic development and resolution of outstanding disputes and appreciated Pakistan's efforts in advancing those goals.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had air-dashed to Beijing to discuss the Kashmir issue with the top Chinese leaders after India scrapped the Article 370.

It was China that had asked for "closed consultations" in the UN Security Council to discuss India revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality. 

Source

Woman accused of witchcraft lynched by mob in Bihar

A 60-year-old woman was beaten to death in Bihar's Nawada district allegedly by neighbours accusing her of practising witchcraft, the police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at Kalliyatand Tola of Taraun village under Kauwakol police station area on Monday night, hours after the death of a 12-year-old boy who was ailing for a long time.

Suspecting that the boy died because of witchcraft performed by the victim, identified as Chinta Devi, her neighbours lynched the elderly woman, police said.

Her daughter has lodged an FIR against four persons.

Of the four, a man and his son were arrested, Superintendent of Police Hari Prasath S said.

The death of the arrested man's 12-year-old son led to the attack on Chinta Devi.

Source