Latest News: 6.0 Quake Rocks Costa Rica, No Casualties Reported
Catch all the live updates of the day here.
Catch all the live updates of the day here.
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Encounter Underway In J&K's Bandipora
Encounter between security forces and terrorists underway in Hajin area of Bandipora, reported ANI. More details are awaited.
CBI Raids Former Bihar Welfare Department Minister Manju Verma's Residence
CBI on Friday, 17 August raided former Bihar Welfare Department Minister Manju Verma's residence in Patna and Begusarai in connection with the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case.
Manju Verma's husband is accused of having links with Brajesh Thakur, the alleged mastermind in the home abuse case .
(Source: ANI)
Sensex Rises 281 Points in Early Trade
The domestic stock markets started Friday, 17 August’s session in green, tracking global cues. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 281 points to trade at 37,944.76 in opening trade. The Nifty50 index surged 78.60 points to trade at 11,463.65.
(Source: NDTVProfit)
Rahul Gandhi Meeting With Congress Leaders over Rafale Issue Postponed
Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with party leaders over the Rafale Issue on Friday, 17 August has been postponed. Gandhi was scheduled to meet all Pradesh Congress Committee Presidents, Congress Legislature Party leaders, General Secretaries and In-charge of all states over the Rafale issue.
The meeting is now scheduled to be held at Saturday, 18 August.
(Source: ANI)
Pakistan Presidential Polls Slated to Take Place in September
Pakistan's presidential election is slated to take place on 4 September, the electoral body of Pakistan announced on Thursday, 16 August.
Incumbent Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain's five-year term is due to end on 9 September.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the candidates could file their nomination papers for the polls to the presiding officers in Islamabad and in the four provinces of the country by 27 August.
(Source: ANI)
Terrorists Kill Woman in Drubgam Village in J&K
A woman was shot dead by terrorists in Drubgam village of Pulwama district, of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, 18 August. More details are awaited.
In a separate incident terrorists lobbed a grenade towards security forces in Pulwama district's Awantipora , one civilian critically injured.
(Source: ANI)
Delhi HC Reserves Order Against Conviction of Suhaib Ilyasi
The Delhi High Court has reserved the order on the appeal filed by former TV anchor and producer Suhaib Ilyasi against his conviction by a trial court in his wife's murder case.
(Source: ANI)
Hope Relations Between Pakistan and India Will Improve: Navjot Singh Sidhu
Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu who was present at the Attari-Wagah border said, “I am going to Pakistan as a goodwill ambassador. I am going there with the hope that relations between our two nations will improve.”
Sidhu has been invited for Pakistan PM designate Imran Khan's swearing-in ceremony on Saturday, 18 August.
(Source: ANI)
CRPF Rescues 250 Children from Water-Logged School in Chhattisgarh
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) rescued almost 250 children in Bijapur at Chhattisgarh, after the water level in a government school reached up to 5 feet due to incessant rainfall. A battalion of 170 CRPF were deployed who shifted the children to a nearby safe Anganwadi site.
(Source: ANI)
SC Directs NGT to Take a Final Decision on Vedanta's Sterlite Copper Plant
The Supreme Court refused to entertain Tamil Nadu government's plea against the National Green Tribunal's order, allowing mining major Vedanta access to the administrative unit inside its closed Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin.
The top court also asked the NGT to “finally decide” on the matter.
(Source: PTI)
Odisha Urges Kerala to Provide Food to 130 Flood-Hit People
The Odisha government urged its Kerala counterpart to provide minimum assistance like food and water to the people from the state taking shelter at a flood ravaged place, official sources said.
The state government's action came soon after it received an SOS message from one Anil Sethi, who informed that about 130 people from Odisha have taken shelter in a house at Aluva Munnar Road, Odapally, Near Asha Munnar Post Office.
(Source: PTI)
Turkey Will Respond If US Imposes More Sanctions: Minister
Turkey threatened to respond if the United States levied further sanctions over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson.
"We've already responded based on the World Trade Organisation rules and will continue to do so," Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Washington had warned yesterday that it would impose more sanctions unless pastor Andrew Brunson, described by US President Donald Trump as a "hostage", was released.
(Source: PTI)
Navjot Singh Sidhu Arrives in Pak for Imran Khan's Oath-Taking Ceremony
Former Indian cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has arrived in Pakistan to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister designate Imran Khan on Saturday, 18 August.
PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks With The King Of Bhutan
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks in Delhi on Friday, 17 August.
The Bhutan King also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the BJP headquarters.
(Source: ANI)
Imran Khan Defeats Shahbaz Sharif to Become Pak's New PM
Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan defeated Shahbaz Sharif in a one-sided contest to become Pakistan's next prime minister after the grand opposition alliance fell apart over the PML-N chief's nomination for the top post.
(Source: PTI)
SC Rejects Kalanithi Maran's Plea in Illegal Telephone Exchange Case
The Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by industrialist Kalanithi Maran challenging a Madras High Court verdict setting aside a trial court order discharging him in a case relating to the alleged setting up of "illegal" telephone exchanges.
A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Navin Sinha and K M Joseph rejected Maran's plea, following which he, along with his brother and former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and others, would have to face trial in the case.
(Source: PTI)
Turkey Court Rejects Appeal to Free US Pastor Andrew Brunson
A Turkish court rejected another appeal to free US pastor Andrew Brunson, whose detention has sparked a major crisis in Ankara's ties with Washington, his lawyer said.
The court ruled that Brunson would remain under house arrest, rejecting the third such request, lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP, saying he would appeal again in 15 days.
(Source: PTI)
KSRTC Halts Its Premium Bus Services Due to Heavy Rainfall
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has stopped all its premium service buses from Mangalore to Bengaluru due to heavy rain and landslide.
(Source: ANI)
Indian Flier Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Sleeping Woman in US
A 35-year-old Indian IT manager has been convicted of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman aboard a Detroit-bound flight in the US, media reports said.
Prabhu Ramamoorthy, who worked for an IT company for over two years, will be sentenced on 12 December by US District Judge Terrence Berg, The Detroit News reported.
Ramamoorthy faces up to life in prison. If released, he will be deported to India.
(Source: PTI)
Murder Accused out on Bail Rapes Woman in MP, Gets Death Sentence
A local court has sentenced a man to death for raping and killing a woman while he was out on bail after being convicted earlier for a murder.
Public prosecutor Shantaram Wankhede said that Lahase had kidnapped the 30-year-old victim on 17 May this year from Khadkod village, some eight kilometres from the district headquarters.
"He raped the woman at a deserted place and killed her by crushing her head with a stone. He then disposed of the body in a well," Wankhede said.
(Source: PTI)
Ajit Wadekar's Demise an Irreparable Loss: Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar paid tribute to former cricketer and Indian cricket team coach Ajit Wadekar, who passed away in the city on Wednesday, August 15. Wadekar was accorded full-state honours in Mumbai on Friday, 17 August.
“Ajit Wadekar understood how to bring the best out of his players. He was always liked by everyone. I was fortunate enough to see both, a great cricketer and a wonderful person. It is an irreparable loss”, Tendulkar said after paying his last respects to Wadekar at his residence in Mumbai.
(Source: ANI)
One Killed in Grenade Attack by Terrorists in J&K
One person was killed and three were injured in a grenade attack by terrorists on a police installation in Awantipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.
They lobbed a grenade towards the main gate of the district police office which missed the intended target and exploded by the road, a police official said.
Four civilians were injured in the grenade blast, the official said, adding that one of the injured later succumbed to injuries at a hospital.
(Source: PTI)
Kashmiri Separatists Call for Two-Day Strike over Article 35A
Kashmiri separatists called for a two-day strike from 26 August over the legal challenge in the Supreme Court on the validity of Article 35A and warned of a mass agitation across Jammu and Kashmir in case of any "untoward decision" by the apex court.
Article 35A, incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential Order, confers special status to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and bars people from outside the state from acquiring any immovable property in the state.
The apex court has listed the matter for hearing in the week commencing 27 August.
(Source: PTI)
Row over Panchayat Polls Has Led to Constitutional Crisis: WB to SC
The West Bengal government told the Supreme Court that the row over the recently concluded panchayat polls in the state has led to a "constitutional crisis" since the tenure of several Panchayats were over and new bodies have not been made functional.
The apex court had earlier stayed the Calcutta High Court order asking the state election body to accept the nomination papers filed through e-mail for panchayat elections and directed the poll panel not to declare in the gazette the names of those candidates who had won unopposed.
(Source: PTI)
AIADMK Postpones Its Executive Committee Meet to 23 August
The ruling AIADMK said it has postponed a meeting of its key decision making body, the Executive Committee, scheduled in Chennai next week.
Party coordinator O Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator K Palaniswami said the meeting, scheduled originally for 20 August, will now be held on 23 August. The meeting is being rescheduled due to "unavoidable reasons," they said in a statement.
Turkish Lira Resumes Fall After Trump Sanctions Threat
The Turkish currency fell again on Saturday, 17 August, breaking a three-day quiet spell in the country currency crisis, after the United States threatened to impose new sanctions on the NATO country.
The lira dropped about 5 percent, to about 6.11 per dollar, after US President Donald Trump posted a tweet warning the country of more punitive measures over the continued detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor who faces 35 years in prison on charges of espionage and terror-related charges.
(Source: PTI)
Rahul Gandhi to Hold Party Meet on Saturday
Congress President Rahul Gandhi will meet all Pradesh Congress Committee Presidents, Congress Legislature Party leaders, General Secretaries and Incharge of all states on Saturday, 17 August at 9.30 am.
(Source: ANI)
Over Six Bridges Wash Away Due to Landslides in Himachal Pradesh
Over six bridges have washed away in Rampur’s Kutt in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides triggered by heavy rain and flash floods.
(Source: ANI)
6.0 Quake Rocks Costa Rica, No Casualties Reported
A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale shook southern Costa Rica, close to the border with Panama, ANI reported.
The United States Geological Survey said that the quake occurred at 5:22 pm (local time) on Friday, 17 August, with its epicentre 19 km north of Golfito town in Costa Rica.
However, there were no reports of casualties and damage so far.