Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took to Twitter thanking Australia and group members for supporting India’s entry to Australia Group, an export control group that monitors trade of substances used for chemical and biological ware fare.

I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting India’s entry in it.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 20, 2018

India on Friday notched up another success as it became a member of the Australia Group, the third of four key global export control regimes that will help pave the way for entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.

PM Modi in an another tweet said, “India’s membership of MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement & Australia Group reaffirms India’s strong non-proliferation credentials & also our commitment to global peace and security”.

Over the last two years, India’s membership of MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement & Australia Group reaffirms India’s strong non-proliferation credentials & also our commitment to global peace and security.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 20, 2018

India became the 43rd member of the Australia Group, an informal forum of countries which seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.

“I am happy to announce that India has joined the Australia Group on January 19, 2018, following the completion of internal procedures for joining this group,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in his weekly media briefing here.

“The Australia Group decided to admit India as the Group’s 43rd participant through a consensus decision,” he said.

“India would like to thank each of the Australia Group participants for their support for India’s membership.”

Kumar also expressed New Delhi’s appreciation for Ambassador Jane Hardy of Australia, former chair of the Australia Group, for her role in facilitating India’s accession to the Group.

“India’s entry into Group would be mutually beneficial and further contribute to international security and non-proliferation objectives,” he said.

In a separate statement, the Australia Group said “there was very strong support expressed for India’s membership at the June 26-30, 2017, Australia Group Plenary, after which consensus was reached intersessionally.” and then India reaffirmed its intention to join the Group.

“In warmly welcoming India to the Group, the other Australia Group members recognised the government of India’s commitment to bring India’s export control system into alignment with the Australia Group and India’s determination to contribute to the global effort to prevent the proliferation of CBW in the security interests of all members of the international community,” it stated.

“With its admission into the Australia Group, India has demonstrated the will to implement rigorous controls of high standards in international trade, and its capacity to adapt its national regulatory system to meet the necessities of its expanding economy.”

The statement added that India was “also aware of the need to constantly adapt its export controls in the face of rapidly evolving scientific and technological challenges, and in this regard, affirmed its readiness to act in close cooperation with all members towards the furtherance of Australia Group objectives”.

The other Australia Group members are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Republic of Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

This is the third of the four export control regimes that India has joined since 2017.

Last year, India became the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an informal and voluntary partnership of countries to prevent the proliferation of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology capable of carrying above 500 kg payload for more than 300 km, and the 42nd member of the Wassenaar Arrangement, which seeks to contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.

China has been opposing India’s bid to become member of the NSG, on the ground that for a country to join the 48-nation bloc, it has to be a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

(With agency inputs)

US Vice President Mike Pence set off for the Middle East for a trip overshadowed by controversy over plans to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Pence had been due to travel in December last year, but Arab anger over President Donald Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem Israel’s capital saw many planned meetings cancelled.

The deadly protests that erupted at the time have subsided, but Pence may still face a cold welcome in some capitals and concern over the fate of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).

Washington has delayed a USD 65 million funding package for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal thousands of Palestinian refugees.

The Palestinian leadership, already stunned and furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence during his planned December trip.

But Pence’s press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said the vice president would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour.

Pence will arrive in Cairo today for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, heading the following day to Amman for a one-on-one with King Abdullah II.

Both these leaders, whose countries have peace deals and diplomatic ties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump wants.

They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America’s various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware.

On Monday, he will begin a two-day visit to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin and deliver a speech to the Knesset.

He can expect a warm welcome from local politicians after Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel’s side in the dispute over the city.

The Gurgaon Police has arrested nine women, including four Thai nationals, from a spa centre at a high-end mall in the city for allegedly running a flesh trade.

The women were involved in flesh trade in the garb of providing massage to potential customers, the police said on Saturday. They worked at Nature Spa at the MGF Megacity Mall on MG Road, they added.

“They have been booked under relevant IPC sections for Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act,” the police’s PRO Ravindra Kumar said.

The arrests were made on a tip-off.

A constable posed as a decoy customer. “A police team raided it after a deal was struck with the receptionist at Rs 2,500 for an hour of massage and sexual pleasure,” Kumar said.

“It was found that the operators were also contacting potential customers through WhatsApp and Facebook. Besides, they randomly send text messages to unknown customers with attractive rate cards and packages,” he added.

The accused have been produced before duty magistrate and it sent them to 14-days judicial custody, he added.

She will be seen in an action-packed avatar in Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, and will be revisiting the Happy Bhag Jayegi universe for the sequel. Actress Diana Penty says she wants to explore different genres, but would refrain from doing anything “drastic”.

“I would love to try new things, try new roles and play different characters. It is something that I have always wanted and it is something that I have always tried to do with each film that I do. I try to make it different from the previous film, the role and the character,” Diana said.

“I would definitely be open to and would want to (try different things). There is a hunger to kind of do things that are different,” added the actress, who launched Gigi Hadid’s Maybelline x Gigi Hadid Limited Edition Collection in India earlier this month.

But that doesn’t mean she will try everything that comes her way. The actress says she will weigh things and decide accordingly.

“I don’t know how drastic I would be… Like going bald is drastic. That is not something so easy and casual. It is a big deal… at least for me, it is a big deal.

“So that is something I would definitely try to find a way around. In our industry, there are ways to get around things, like you can do it artificially or use prosthetic. There are certain ways to get the feel of that thing instead of actually doing it; if that is possible, then why not?

“At the end of the day, there are other projects that you might be doing, or might be working on two films at the same time, or have a brand to endorse. You cannot completely change your look one day.”

Diana says she is not “completely closed to things, but having said, that I am practical. I weigh things and decide accordingly.”

After making a name for herself as a model, Diana walked into showbiz with Cocktail — which also featured Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone — in 2012.

Despite a successful debut, Diana maintained her distance from the big screen and did her second movie Happy Bhag Jayegi in 2016. Thereafter, she promised her fans that she will not take long breaks, and she has kept her word.

Her last on-screen outing was Lucknow Central, and she will next be seen as carefree Happy in Happy Bhag Jayegi Returns. She also has Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran in her kitty.

Diana says the sequel, with Sonakshi Sinha on board, is a continuation of the first part, which narrated the story of a girl named Happy who ran away from her wedding and reached Pakistan by mistake.

As for Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, also starring John Abraham, the actress says it is a story waiting to be told.

Parmanu…’ is definitely a very different subject for me. It is based on true events — which is the nuclear tests that India conducted (in Pokhran, Rajasthan, in 1998). The event changed the history of our country and made us a nuclear power. It was a life-changing event for the country; so it is good to be part of stories like that.

“It is an important story to tell, not only to our country but to the rest of the world.”

What about her role?

“I have a different role to play. I am doing action for the first time, which is something I have never attempted before, something I have to prep for. I have undergone training for a couple of months and did kick-boxing. It is exciting because it is so different.”

On Happy Bhag Jayegi Returns, she said: “It is a continuation. It was a super fun role. It is the same space again. It is great to know that because it was well-received by the audience we are making the second part. It is a great feeling to revisit the film.”

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday supported Virat Kohli and his squad after the team’s Test series loss in South Africa. He even urged people to support the men-in-blue. Singh sided with captain Kohli, saying this was his first ‘real overseas tour’.

While talking to PTI, he said, “Everybody wants to improve. Let’s support the team at this hour. We have not played as well as we would have expected. Maybe next time. This is a great learning curve. Hopefully, we will bounce back strongly. They need to back each other.”

When Harbhajan Singh was asked about the similarities and difference between Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy, Harbhajan refused to comment and said, “I don’t want to compare. They played in different eras. Every time we toured we had the best chance of winning. I don’t want to compare teams of different eras. Kohli with Dhoni or the former players like Rahul Dravid, VVS and Sachin.”

“Captaincy comes with a lot of responsibility. He has done really well so far. This was his first real overseas challenge. I don’t call Sri Lanka a real overseas challenge with similar conditions (like India),” Singh further added.

Earlier, when former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was asked to comment on the loss, he asked people to be positive.

Responding to the question, Dhoni said that visitors had taken 20 wickets in both the Tests and it had given a chance to the Indian squad to win the match.

“I won’t answer that but I’ll say look at the positives. To win a Test match you need 20 wickets. We have taken 20 wickets. That is the biggest positive. If you can’t take 20 wickets, you can never win a Test. Irrespective of whether you are playing at home or outside. We are taking 20 wickets, which means you are always in a position to win the match. Once you start scoring runs, you are there (with a chance of winning),” Dhoni said.

After the Centurion debacle, India skipper Virat Kohli, along with head coach Ravi Shastri, came under heavy criticism for dropping vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second Test match.

Following the mediocre target of 287 at Centurion, the strong batting line-up of India collapsed at the score of 151. People were more shocked with India’s performance because Centurion pitch was flat and it should have had favoured visitors.

Don’t go overboard by giving your eyes and lips a dramatic makeover and preferably choose a balanced look. Also, ensure you remain stress-free to look your best, suggest experts.

Nalin Verma and Puniti have shared tips:

* The main idea of a perfect bridal makeup look is to accentuate the best features, and at the same time, keep the overall look simple, yet gorgeous. As it is, Indian brides are loaded with jewelry and heavy dresses. So, it is best to keep the makeup natural.

* If you want a classic bridal look, opt for vermillion red, coral red, deep red and pink-red lip colors. Ditch pastel or nude shades.

* Highlight eyes or lips, not both. Fresh and effortless make-up styles are dominating the modern bridal trend. Lips could be kept moist or matte depending on the event.

* For blushing cheeks, shades of pink, red and orange are the colors of choice for most brides.

* Mascara is a good option to give a neat look to the eyelashes.

* In order to obtain a long-lasting look, start by cleansing your face well and then patting it dry to ensure that there are no traces of dirt or oil on the face.

* Indian brides love gold eye makeup since it goes well with their red, fuchsia, or green lehengas, ghagras, or heavy saris. So, if you want to play it safe, this is the color to go with.

Paint the eyelids with a gold or peachy pink shade, and use some charcoal shadow on the exterior lid contours to give a subtle, smoky effect. You can achieve this by using a brown shade on the inner crease area.

You can also use golden eye shadow instead of silver for the brow bones.

* If you are hiring a make-up artist, make sure you explain what you need clearly. Explaining things in advance will help you get the look you want. If the make-up artist is new, then it is always recommended to get a trial session before your wedding day.

* Ward off stress hormones: You need to relax and shun off all the stress. It is difficult to practice but stress can take a toll on your skin, making it look worse.

* Take care of puffy eyes: Use chamomile tea bags over the eyes to make them appear less puffy. Using normal tea bags may stain your skin.

In a battle between sisters, Vinesh Phogat justified her icon status as she humbled sister Ritu Phogat, to enable UP Dangal edge past Veer Marathas 4-3 the in the Pro Wrestling League at the Siri Fort Indoor Stadium, New Delhi on Friday.

With this defeat Veer Marathas, playing for the first time in the league, are virtually out of contention while UP Dangal continues their unbeaten run in the tournament.

In the fourth bout of the day, Vinesh played with great determination to overcome a stiff challenge from her elder Ritu Phogat 4-0 in the 50-kg category to make it 3-1 for UP Dangal. This was Vinesh’s fourth successive victory in the tournament.

Earlier another Phogat sister, Commonwealth champion Geeta, made it 2-0 for Dangal, beating national champion Ritu Malik 5-0 in the 62-kg event.

The win not only gave UP a huge itiative early in the duel but also saw Geeta record her first win in this year’s edition.

Commonwealth Champion Bajrang then sealed the tie for his side thrashing Amit Dhankar 7-2 in the 65-kg category.

Veer Marathas won the toss and blocked Uzbekistan’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov while UP Dangal opted to keep Marwa Amri out of the equation.

In the first bout UP Dangal’s Nithin Rathi, made a great comeback to register a 7-4 victory over Shravan Kumar in the 57-kg to help log the first point for his side.

Shravan started off well and took a 3-0 lead in the opening period. The national championship runner-up, however, showed great determination to turn the tide and come out victorious.

For Marathas, the three foreigners recorded the wins to narrow the gap.

Armenian Georgi Keteov brought the Marathas back into tie with a dominating 16-0 win through technical superiority over Vicky Chahar in the 92-kg competition.

The World Championship bronze medalist grappled with great intent and did not allow his opponent any chance as he wrapped up the contest within three minutes.

Vasilisa Marzaliuk beat Zsanett Nemeth while Levan Berianidze beat Jamaladdin Magomedov

Two people have been arrested in connection with the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab in Pakistan, with police terming it an important development in the search of suspect(s) involved in the case.

Zainab Amin was kidnapped from her neighbourhood on January 4. She was raped and later murdered. Her body was found from a heap trash on January 9.

Investigators found an empty box near the body of the girl and one of the suspects arrested on Friday was identified by the help of a forensic examination, Dawn News on Saturday quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The suspect had already been booked in six rape cases. The other suspect is his brother who is also booked in some similar cases.

The sources said the two brothers were residents of the College Road area in Punjab province where a minor rape survivor was found in November. The girl is still under treatment at Children’s Hospital, Lahore.

The joint investigation team formed on January 10 to probe the Zainab murder case has collected data of 300 mobile phone numbers and six of them have been marked for further investigation.

The sources said locator vans had been working in Punjab’s Kasur city for the past three days to trace the location of the two suspects.

They said they were arrested from a place outside the district where they were hiding. The police had interrogated around 1,300 people and released many of them after their DNA tests.

Also on Friday, Punjab Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz said that investigators were going in the right direction.

A new video footage emerged on social media regarding a suspect moving near the house of the victim.

A police official said that the JIT had not released any video footage. In fact, the video clip was the initial part of the first video shared by the family of the victim with the JIT.

Separately, on a call at helpline, police raided two rented houses in Ali Park and Peerowala Road whose tenants had gone missing. Police took the owners into custody to know the whereabouts of the tenants.

Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday formed a 10-member committee for suggesting recommendations to stop child abuse incidents.

The committee has been asked to give its recommendations to the house within 30 days.

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit Assam early on Saturday, an official said. No damage or causality is reported.

The Regional Meteorological Centre here said the quake occurred 10 km beneath the ground at 6.45 a.m.

The epicentre was near Kokrajhar district.

US President Donald Trump can still travel to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland next week even if the government shuts down due to a budget impasse, a senior administration official has said.

While hundreds of thousands of federal government employees will be furloughed if budget talks in Congress fail Friday, Trump will have all the staff and facilities needed, including the Air Force One jet, to exercise his constitutional responsibilities, according to the official.

The president would travel to Davos “pursuant to his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy,” the official told journalists.

The official, speaking on background to journalists about the impact of the looming shutdown, would not say whether Trump still plans to make the trip to Davos.

When the government shut down in a budget battle in October 2013, then-president Barack Obama cancelled a trip to Asia to attend two key summits.

The annual Davos meeting from January 23-26 brings together the world’s political and business leaders for discussions of key global issues.

Trump is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May at the forum to discuss bilateral relations, according to the White House.

The administration official would not give information about Trump’s other activities during a possible shutdown, including whether he intends to travel this weekend to his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida.

Trump cancelled plans to depart for Florida on Friday afternoon as Republicans and Democrats in Congress continued to battle over a short-term budget bill without agreement.

R Madhavan and Amit Sadh have worked really hard for Amazon Prime Video and Abundantia Entertainment’s upcoming Digital series ‘ Breathe’.

Both the actors have taken a lot of efforts for prepping up for their roles as their characters are very intense in the series.

R Madhavan is playing the role of Danny Mascarenhas a single parent to six-year-old, Josh, who suffers from a life-threatening disease and is in dire need of an organ transplant. His character in Breathe will go to any length to save the life of his son.

On the other hand, Amit Sadh is playing the role of Kabir Sawant a brilliant but unconventional officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch, who investigates the suspect Danny Mascarenhas and will not stop till he cracks the case and delivers justice.

Both Madhavan and Amit Sadh have worked very hard for their roles and have delivered power-packed performance in ‘Breathe’

The trailer of Breathe which was unveiled recently has been loved by everyone for its sharp and intriguing storyline, Also the trailer has crossed more than 9.1 million views.

Breathe is a psychological thriller which traces the journey of a father’s unbelievable quest to save the life of his son.

Breathe will be launched globally as a trilingual series in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.

The Amazon Prime Original, Breathe, is produced by Abundantia Entertainment and launches on January 26th, 2018, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. In an unprecedented move, Breathe will launch as a trilingual 8 episode series simultaneously in 200+ countries.

In a shameful incident, two accident victims died after being denied medical assistance as Uttar Pradesh police, reportedly, refused to rush them to hospital in their vehicle. The incident took place in UP’s Saharanpur on Thursday night.

According to the media reports, the minors lost the control of their motorcycle before crashing into the gutter as it collided with a pillar in Mangalnagar Chowk at Beri Bagh. They have been identified as Arpit Khurana (17) and Sunny (17). The duo sustained serious injuries.

The onlookers immediately gathered to help the boys and called the police. If the media reports are to be believed, the Dial 100 PCR arrived, but to everyone’s surprise the police refused to take the duo with them citing that the blood will spoil their vehicle. Police insisted that the accidents victims are taken to the hospital in a tempo.

They were, then, rushed to the hospital in a tempo. According to the NDTV, the boys were declared brought dead by the doctors.

A passer-by recorded the incident on his phone and the video has been going viral. Reportedly, the video show the victims crying in pain as the policemen stood aside them doing nothing.

The three police officials who were present on the spot have been suspended.

“We have taken exemplary action against the three cops. We cannot tolerate the kind of inhuman treatment that was meted out to those in dire need of help. They (the three cops) are already under suspension. If, after the inquiry that has been set up, their irresponsible and immoral conduct is conclusively established, further action will be taken against them,” Times of India quoted DIG (Saharanpur range) Sunil Emannuel as saying.

Pakistan’s “mindset” that unleashes terrorist attacks on India and Afghanistan must change, India has told the Security Council.

Only by changing the terror mindset can peace come to Afghanistan, India’s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said on Friday during a high-level Council meeting dealing with Afghanistan.

“Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistan’s peace, stability and prosperity,” he said. “And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region.”

New Delhi has been working with regional and international partners to bring security, peace and development to Afghanistan, he said.

To further these objectives and promote peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped over in Lahore in December 2015 on his way back from inaugurating the Indian-built parliament house in Afghanistan, he said.

But “a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack” was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week’s time by “the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day,” he said.

“These mindsets differentiate between ‘good’ and bad terrorists,” he said. “These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth.”

“These mindsets,” Akbaruddin declared, “need to change.”

The high-level Council meeting was presided over by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and focused on regional cooperation to promote development and security in Afghanistan. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was among those attending the session.

Terrorism has taken a huge toll on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said backing up his assertion with World Bank statistics.

Afghanistan recorded a 9.6 per cent annual economic growth rate from 2003 to 2014, but it has fallen to 2.2 per cent in 2016 as terrorism increased and it was 2.6 per cent last year, according to the bank.

Illustrating how terrorism impacts development, he said that a disproportionate amount of resources are diverted from the aid projects to protecting them rather than building more projects.

The New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan cover education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, drinking water supply and human resource development, he said.

The recent visits by Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah have given the partnership a boost, he added.

India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan last year.

The US Supreme Court has said it will review President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban affecting citizens from six Muslim majority countries plus North Korea and Venezuela.

In what could prove decisive in a legal battle that has roiled the first year of the Trump administration, the high court will rule on whether the president exceeded his powers and engaged in religious discrimination in the third rendering of the ban.

Lower courts in California, Hawaii and other states have repeatedly ruled that Trump’s order targets Muslims in violation of the US Constitution.

“We have always known this case would ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court,” said state Attorney General Doug Chin of Hawaii, which has repeatedly fought the travel bans.

“This will be an important day for justice and the rule of law. We look forward to the Court hearing the case.”

The conservative-tilting court last month rejected calls for a freeze on the ban, which targets visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, allowing Trump to implement it while it was being challenged in lower courts.

The US administration has rewritten the ban twice, adding more national security justifications in the latest iteration in September and including citizens of North Korea and Venezuela to counter the argument the government was singling out Muslim countries.

Trump’s initial travel ban, decreed a week after he took office, triggered chaos out at US airports, with travellers detained upon arrival, and nationwide protests against a measure seen as discriminatory — though Trump said it aimed to keep out extremists.

Court challenges have seized upon Trump’s repeated comments against Muslims, starting with his campaign vow to ban them from entering the country, to make the case that they were the intended target.

The first ban was quickly blocked in court, as was a modified version removing Iraq from the list of countries.

Regarding the third version, critics noted that the United States welcomed no more than a handful of annual visitors from North Korea, and in Venezuela’s case, the ban was made specific to a number of high-ranking officials in a government already facing US sanctions.

One key difference in the latest version of the ban was that it was open-ended, whereas the previous two versions were set for 90 days, ostensibly for the government to review security threats from the countries.

The Supreme Court will review those arguments, but also whether Trump has the executive power to order such a ban.

“Every version of the ban has been found unconstitutional, illegal, or both by federal trial and appellate courts,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has supported Hawaii in its court challenge.

“The Supreme Court can and should put a definitive end to President Trump’s attempt to undermine the constitutional guarantee of religious equality and the basic principles of our immigration laws, including their prohibition of national origin discrimination,” Jadwat said. (AFP)

Taxi operators on Saturday kept their vehicles off the roads in Goa for the second day, despite the state government invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) prohibiting the strike.

“The strike continues even on Saturday and not a single taxi will operate in the state. We have been protesting peacefully.

The strike will continue,” Vinayak Nanoskar, General Secretary, North Goa Tourist Taxi Association told PTI.

Due to the strike, which started on Friday, around 18,000-odd taxis and 350 yellow and black pre-paid taxis are not operating even on Saturday.

The tourist taxi operators in Goa are protesting against state government’s decision asking them to install speed governor on their vehicles as per the directives of the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has refused to cede the taxi operators’ demand. Installation of speed governor was part the Supreme Court’s directives, he said on Friday.

The BJP-led government has invoked ESMA, but no action was taken against taxi operators on Friday.

According to tmz.com, Kourtney has filed legal documents to own the business name “Kourt” but, in order to keep things under wraps, for the time being, she filed the application under her company “2Die4Kourt”.

Although it is not known for sure whether Kourtney will bring out her own cosmetics range, she has been uploading more beauty-related content on her application, including her favorite natural products and her everyday makeup routine.

Her sister Kylie’s range — Kylie Cosmetics — keeps expanding year on year but is known for liquid lipsticks, lip liners, eye-shadow palettes, concealers, and foundation.

Kim, 37, on the other hand, launched her KKW beauty range in 2016 and just two months ago dropped a line of shimmering highlighters and lip glosses.