In a major controversy, a constable deployed with Kanda jail in Shimla district in which ISIS suspect Aabib Khan has been lodged, has accused the jail administration of giving free hand to some inmates and allowing them to use Facebook.

The Constable identified as Bhanu Prashar has also uploaded a video of the incident to support his claims. He had accused the Jail administration of letting inmates use mobile phones inside prison.

The constable has further alleged that when he reported the matter to senior officials, he was abused and threatened by them. The Constable has now been suspended by Prisons Department and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Meanwhile, Jail officials has denied any wrongdoings and said the jail inmates were working on website of the Prisons department as they are entrusted with the work after keeping in mind their good behaviour.

The Jail staff, instead, had accused the Constable Bhanu Prashar of indiscipline and had alleged that action has been taken against him for such behaviour in the past too.

Kanda Jail Superintendent, Sher Chand told The Statesman that Bhanu was lying on the issue as his salary had been stopped for not joining duty. “Bhanu Prashar had gone on leave for four days but he didn’t join the duty even after three months due to which his salary was stopped. Though when he couldn’t give sufficient reasons for his absence, he is making such false claims,” he added.

Chand said he had also faced action for indiscipline in Bilaspur Jail and Nahan Jail in the past.

Somesh Goyal, Director General, Prisons Department, HP, told The Statesman that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident and he would be able to comment on the issue once the report is out.

However, he clarified that jail inmate are allowed to work inside prison keeping in mind good conduct and their zeal to reform themselves. “Sometimes, we allow the jail inmates to work on several projects of prison after observing their conduct for over a period, which is not less than five years. These inmates must have been working in the jail as the set arrangement,” he said.

Reliance Communications (RCOM) has received 99.99 per cent shareholders approval for merger of its wireless business with Aircel, a company statement said here on Monday.

"The shareholders of Reliance Communications at their meeting convened pursuant to the order of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), have on Monday approved with 99.99 per cent majority for the Scheme of Arrangement for demerger of the wireless division of the company and Reliance Telecom Limited (RTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, into Aircel Limited and Dishnet Wireless Limited (the Scheme)," the company statement said.

It was also approved by shareholders of RTL at their meeting held on Monday pursuant to the order of the NCLT, the statement added.

The shareholders of Aircel have also approved the said scheme at their meeting held on April 22, 2017, convened under the order of the NCLT.

The company has already received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, BSE, National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Competition Commission of India for the proposed Scheme of Arrangement. 

The RCOM-Aircel merger will create a strong operator clearly ranked amongst India's top four telecom companies by customer base and revenues, also ranking amongst the top three operators by revenues in 12 important circles.

The statement said, the merged entity will have the second-largest spectrum holding amongst all operators, aggregating 448 MHz across the 850, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands, and will enjoy enhanced business continuity through extended validity of spectrum holdings till 2033-36. 

"It will be one of India's largest private sector companies, with an asset base of over Rs.65,000 crore ($10 billion) and net worth of Rs.35,000 crore ($5.38 billion)," the statement said.

RCOM's overall debt including the deferred spectrum payment liability will be reduced by Rs.20,000 crore ($3.07 billion) and Aircel's debt will reduce by Rs.4,000 crore ($615 million), upon completion of the transaction. 

A petition is being filed with the NCLT, Mumbai Bench, for approval of the said scheme. 

The proposed transaction is subject to other necessary approvals. Post closing, RCOM and the present shareholders of Aircel will hold 50 per cent stake each in Aircel Limited.

RCOM shares were trading at Rs.34.45 per share, up 1.62 per cent in the BSE at 2.26 p.m.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the situation in the state will improve in the next two or three months, after which a dialogue could be initiated.

Though the CM did not specify who the talks would be with, she had earlier invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's policy on Kashmir at a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in an apparent suggestion for talks with separatists.

"I understand that the coming 2-3 months are crucial for us. I want to say that you will find the situation of Jammu and Kashmir changed. We will first restore normalcy and then talks can be initiated," she said after meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh here.

She said the central government at the highest level would have to take a decision on initiating a dialogue.

During the meeting, at which BJP's general secretary incharge of the state, Ram Madhav, was also present, Mehbooba briefed Singh about the law and order situation in the Valley, where violence broke out during the April 9 bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

She said there had to be an end to incidents of stone pelting and firing by security forces.

The issues would be discussed at a meeting of the Unified Command in Kashmir.

Asked about the possibility of the imposition of Governor's rule in the state, Mehbooba said only the central government could comment on that.

The two leaders discussed steps needed to bring peace back to the Valley, where student protests against police actions have been gaining ground in recent days.

Mehbooba also raised the issue of security of Kashmiris living in different parts of the country, referring to reports of alleged threats to them in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Singh told Mehbooba that all state governments had been instructed to provide security to Kashmiris in their states and asked to take strong action against anyone threatening or harassing Kashmiris.

He mentioned a home ministry advisory sent on this on Friday.

At a meeting of the NITI Aayog yesterday, Mehbooba had asked all chief ministers to reach out to Kashmiri students in their states and treat them as their "own children".

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said his ministry is in favour of increasing import duty on tur dal from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in the interest of farmers.

Paswan's comments follow a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devender Fadnavis who sought hike in customs duty on tur dal saying farmers are struggling to get even the minimum support price (MSP) because of record output.

The Centre had last month imposed import duty of 10 per cent on tur dal do protect domestic growers.

"Maharashtra CM has demanded increase in tur dal import duty to 25 per cent. I agree that there should be higher duty on tur dal. We will discuss and recommend it to the Finance Ministry," Paswan told reporters after the meeting.

The Food Ministry too had proposed 25 per cent import duty on tur dal but only 10 per cent was imposed, he said.

Higher import duty is necessary to curb sale of cheaper imported dals as domestic produce at the minimum support price (MSP) to the government agencies, he added.

Paswan said government agencies are procuring pulses for buffer stock. It is buying at MSP and the deadline for procurement of summer (kharif) sown pulses was till April 22.

In the meeting, the Maharashtra Chief Minister demanded further extension of pulses procurement which was denied by the Centre saying that farmers are no more getting their Kharif produce and it was only traders and importers.

"We have informed that it is not possible to extend the time for procurement. Now, farmers are not getting their produce to mandis, it is only traders who are importing at a cheaper rate and selling to us at the MSP," Paswan said.

Paswan, however, assured that the central government will see if the quantity that has already arrived till April 22 could be procured or not.

The government agencies like NAFED and FCI have procured highest quantity of 3.5 lakh tonnes of tur dal from Maharasthra this year. The state wants 50,000 to 1,00,000 tonnes more to be procured by these agencies.

The Maharashtra government also requested the centre to come out with long term strategy to address the supply-demand gap in pulses and this was accepted by the Food Ministry.

The country's tur dal production is estimated to be 4.23 million tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year (July-June) as against 2.56 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Tur dal is grown in summer (kharif) season.

Wholesale rate of tur dal has come under pressure due to higher output and in some places farmers are not getting even the MSP.

Actress Raveena Tandon says she has always had an "activist streak" in her but has no plans of joining politics.

"I'm the kind who can't toe any party line. And I have problems with almost every political party. There's no party I have come across whose ideology matches with mine. There are people whom I believe in now, but I just prefer to be a free voice," she says.

The 42-year-old actress says that she would rather have an opinion than lose it in the din of party politics.

"I'm not going to be told what I can or should say, or what my sensibilities are. If my sensibilities say that something is wrong, but the party says, 'waah-waah', I just can't do that. So I would rather be a voice which is not scared of anyone than join politics and lose it," Raveena said.

The actress also believes that to bring in change in the country, citizens must start by "being the change" they want to witness.

"We need to start being the change we want to see. We can criticise all we want, but if goons keep getting elected because of powers like 'bhaigiri' or 'moneygiri', then we don't have any right to complain. We lose the authority because we put them there," she says.

Until like-minded people come together, the system will not change, she points out. "Things will continue like this," she warns.

Raveena says she has often been criticised for praising leaders for doing their job well.

"Yes, there are people who I think are doing good work, while people around them might not be doing (such) good work.

That doesn't mean I'm supporting a particular party," she says.

"Today, if you say you are proud of your prime minister or president, you will be trolled. We used to be proud when we said that Indira Gandhi was the first woman PM of India. But today, it is like taboo. Praise Modiji or Rahul Gandhi… and people will say that you are politically inclined," Raveena adds.

The actress, who stars in the recently released revenge thriller Maatr, regrets that rape is rampant in the country, and stresses that criminals are not afraid of the law anymore.

"We come from a land where women were worshipped as goddesses. Where has that respect gone now?"

India, she adds, needs a strong legal structure.

"We talk about moving towards a new, progressive, liberal and educated India. Then why are mindsets not changing? Had these things happened 60 or 70 years ago, we'd understand. But not now."

Raveena, who is often attacked on social media, says she is indifferent to what is said about her on Twitter. Actors were trolled even before internet came to the fore, she adds.

"I don't care. I don't even read the tweets. I'm not interested in playing the victim. I say what I want to when I want to, whether the people like it or not. But trust me, everybody gets trolled. We actors get trolled even while shooting on the streets.

"We have faced all this, the abuses and comments people pass when we shoot for songs. You all are facing it for the first time, but we've been facing it for a long time. As I said, the basic mindset (of the people) needs to change.

Sri Lankan filmmaker, Prasanna Vithanage was in Assam recently to receive the third Biswaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award at a function organised by the Asom Sahitya Sabha. Launched in 2013 by Assam’s leading literary forum, the first award went to Bangladeshi dance exponent, Lubna Marium and the second to Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

In an interaction with local scribes, the 50-something film director paid tributes to the works of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Jahnu Barua along with Bhupen Hazarika. According to Prasanna, the simplicity conveyed with creative ardours by these filmmakers inspired him to try his hands at filmmaking. Born at Panadura, on the outskirt of Colombo in 1962, Prasanna started working in theatre and soon emerged as a sensitive visual translator of inner conflicts carried by ordinary people along with their journey for individual freedom. He has received applause from the international audience for Sisila Gini Gani (Ice of Fire), Anantha Rathriya (The Dark Night of Soul), Akasa Kusum (Flowers of the Sky), Pura Handa Kaluwara (The Death on a Full Moon Day), Ira Madiyama (August Sun), Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (With You, Without You) and Usawiya Nihandai (Silence in the Courts) among others.

Prasanna, whose movies have been screened in various international film festivals, expressed his concern over the crisis faced by small-time filmmakers in different parts of the globe, but is optimistic over digital screening of quality films for the benefit of filmgoers. He argued that the screening of regional movies (inclusive of Sinhalese films) with multiple subtitles, through various alternate media outlets, would help the industry to survive for a better future. Even though Bollywood movies enjoy important market shares in Sri Lanka, Prasanna asserted that there were still sizable serious filmgoers in his country who support alternate filmmaking.

Talking about the strong presence of female characters in his movies, the director revealed that it was because of his mother’s influence on him. He termed his mother as a strong individual and admitted that her influence has remained a real strength for him in all the time of crisis.

He appreciated the national spirit of India, which is somehow missing in his island nation. Unlike Indians, who are diverged but united in oneness, the Lankans are yet to nurture the spirit of nationalism, Prasanna stated. He admitted that Lankan society remains ethnically divided even after the end of the gory Tamil uprising in northern parts of the country. He also revealed that unlike India, there was no such freedom movement against the British colonial rule in Sri Lanka.

The writer is the statesman’s guwahati-based special representative 

Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission will released the APPSC answer key 2017 for the candidates applied for screening test for group 3 panchayat secretary recruitment examination on the official website psc.ap.gov.in.

Candidates trying to download APPSC 2017 answer key for group 3 panchayat secretary examination have to visit the official website and follow the given instructions just next to the release of APPSC answer key.

APPSC 2017 examination took place across the centers on April 23, 2017. As per the updates, more than five lakh candidates have applied for the APPSC 2017 preliminary examination.
Just after the declaration of APPSC 2017 preliminary examination candidates who successfully pass the exam have to get ready for APPSC main exam, which will take place on July 16.

After qualifying the APPSC recruitment examination candidates will be posted at different locations including: Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur.

The god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar, who inspired generations of cricketers, fans, and other match officials with his spellbinding cricketing skills, turned 44 on Monday.

In his 25-year-long illustrious span of international cricket, Tendulkar made 15,921 in Tests and 18426 in ODIs.

Although his career was graced by 100 international centuries, the cherry on the cake was his 90s-run knocks that were lucky enough to propel the men-in-blue to victory.

Here are seven ODI matches, where Tendulkar fell short of hitting a ton but ended up swaying the match for India in flying colours.

India vs Pakistan – 14 January 1998

It was the first final match of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup at Dhaka when Tendulkar scored 95 runs for India, while chasing the 213 runs target given by Pakistan.

The legendary Indian started the innings elegantly as he put a 159-run partnership stand with the opener Sourav Ganguly. Tendulkar seemed to be in his best shape. He, however, lost his wicket to Shahid Afridi when he was on the verge of a century.

India won the match by eight wickets and Tendulkar was bestowed with the Man Of The Match (MOTM) title.

India vs Pakistan – 1 March 2003

Riding on a strokeful hundred by the opener Saeed Anwar, Pakistan reached a competitive total of 273 runs in the end of their innings in a pool game of the 2003 ICC World Cup.

Nonetheless, India had their reply in the shape of Sachin Tendulkar. The right-hander scored 98 runs off 145 balls with the help of a six and 12 boundaries.

Despite falling short of just two runs to make it a ton, Tendulkar’s play was inspiring enough to make India put a strong fight back.

India sealed the victory by six wickets and Tendulkar bagged MOTM to decorate his rich shelf of cricketing heroics.

India vs Sri Lanka – 10 March 2003

In another pool-stage match of the 2003 ICC World Cup, Tendulkar’s 90s-run knock did the magic as India clinched an easy win.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Aravinda de Silva halted Tendulkar’s juggernaut, dismissing him for 97 runs. However, it came very late as the Indian had already laid a strong foundation for his team and India managed to score 292 runs in their innings.

Indian pacers Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra plotted the Sri Lankan collapse to complete the triumph.

Pakistan vs India – 13 February 2006

Although it was classic-finisher MS Dhoni, who hit the winning boundary to help India beat Pakistan by five wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the brilliant start by Tendulkar was commendable.

Tendulkar played responsibly and slammed 95 runs after India suffered early blows. His innings brought India back to the course of victory and enlightened hopes for Indian fans.

England vs India – 24 August 2007

In the second ODI of the NatWest series, Tendulkar missed to hit a hundred by just one run.

England pacer Andrew Flintoff dismissed Tendulkar for 99 runs, though his daring-dos helped India pile up a well-built total of 329 runs.

India won the match by nine runs in a nail-biting contest against the hosts.

India vs Pakistan – 15 November 2007

It was again the arch-rivals Pakistan against whom Tendulkar missed a century but drove his team to the triumph through his charming 97-run knock.

Pakistan spearhead Umar Gul took the much-valued wicket of Tendulkar, who stood on the brink of his hundred.

India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the day-night match, here in Gwalior.

India vs Sri Lanka – 21 December 2009

Tendulkar, at 36, scored a strokeful 96-run knock to power India against Sri Lanka by seven wickets at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

He remained unbeaten in the end though he missed to hit a century knock courtesy a sheer misfortune as the winning runs (5) came from byes.

The government has extended the startups intellectual property protection (SIPP) scheme for a period of 3 years till March 2020 to help budding entrepreneurs protect their patents, trademark and designs.

Running on a pilot basis initially, the scheme was in force till March 31 this year.

It is now being "extended further for a period of three years", the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion said.

It is crucial for startups to protect their intellectual property rights (IPRs) in this highly competitive world, it added.

The decision to extend the scheme will encourage startups to encash on innovation and for that protection of IPRs is crucial. The government last year announced several incentives including tax benefits to the sector under the Startup India action plan.

The SIPP helps in nurturing and mentoring innovative and emerging technologies among startups. Besides, it assists them in protecting and commercialising these by providing them access to high quality IP services and resources.

For effective implementation of the scheme, the DIPP has empanelled several facilitators, who are required to provide IPR related services to startups .

As per the scheme, facilitators should not charge anything from a startup. The fees is paid directly by the government.

Further it said that startups covered under this scheme will not be required to obtain certificate of an eligible business from the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification.

To obtain tax related benefits, a startup shall be required to be certified as an eligible business from this board.

To encourage young entrepreneurs and innovation, the government has decided to bear the entire cost of facilitation for filing of patents, trademarks or designs.

After winning hearts with his stupendous performance in Baahubali, Prabhas is all set to appear in the hi-tech action drama titled SAAHO.

Prabhas has become a household name after his portrayal of the title role in Baahubali. The actor undertook immense prep to get into the skin of his character in Baahubali, and Baahubali 2 promises to be just as exhilarating.

In Saaho, Prabhas will be seen in an altogether different role, a very different setting, put together with a very different recipe, sources close to the actor said.

The film is fast-paced and action-packed on a larger scale, with a healthy dose of romance and handful of thrills and pinches of drama.

Sahoo is being shot simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The trailer will be attached to Baahubali 2’s trailer, one of the widest releases of this year, and in theatres next week.

The film is slated to release on 28 April.

PDP district president for Pulwama Abdul Gani Dar,who was shot at by suspected militants on Monday, has succumbed to his injuries. 

Gani was shot at by the militants in Pinglena area of Pulwama district, 31 kms from Srinagar, Monday afternoon, a police official said.

Abdul Gani Dar is was earlier associated with Congress. He joined PDP in 2014.

Researchers have discovered by accident cancer-fighting properties in a drug typically used to treat high blood pressure.

The drug carvedilol can protect against the sun-induced cell damage that leads to skin cancer, the findings showed.

"What began as an experimental error led to a very interesting scientific discovery," said co-leader of the research team Ying Huang from Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy, California, US.

"Our research could lead to the development of a class of new cancer-preventive agents," Huang said.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics annual meeting during the Experimental Biology 2017 meeting being held from April 22-26 in Chicago.

Carvedilol's cancer-fighting properties were discovered when a former graduate student in Huang's lab was studying whether carvedilol and similar beta blockers might increase cancer risk. 

The student inadvertently tested carvedilol's ant-icancer effect rather than its ability to promote cancer, finding that carvedilol surprisingly showed some protective effects against skin cancer.

The researchers then conducted experiments with cell cultures and mice to see if carvedilol could prevent skin cancer caused by ultraviolet-B (UVB), the portion of sunlight that tends to damage the skin's top epidermal layers and plays a key role in skin cancer development.

The researchers found that carvedilol exhibited a protective effect in cultured mouse skin cells exposed to UVB and in hairless mice given the drug after UVB exposure. 

The experiments showed that carvedilol acted by protecting cells against the cancer-causing DNA damage and cell death produced by UVB. 

Hairless mice exposed to UVB and given carvedilol showed decreases in both the severity and number of tumours that developed compared to those not given carvedilol. 

The mouse studies also showed that carvedilol delayed skin tumour formation more than sunscreen.

Reality TV personality Kylie Jenner had to leave early during the grand opening of a restaurant here after a group of anti-fur protestors barged in and shouted at her.

Right after Kylie arrived on the red carpet on April 23, the protesters forced her to go inside the restaurant, reports tmz.com.

In a video obtained by the news portal, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star is seen posing for the press when the protestors arrived holding posters of tortured animals. None of them got physical, but they managed to scream, "Kylie Jenner, you have blood on your hands!" 

After hearing the screams, Kylie looked a little upset before deciding to leave the scene. 

She ignored the protestors and quickly walked towards the restaurant. 

The activists were still screaming at her as she left, stating that she was guilty of animal cruelty in the past.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has pitched for financial assistance from NITI Aayog to mitigate the financial distress of the farmers through a one-time debt waiver, while seeking a special package from the Government of India to promote major industrial hubs in the state.

The Chief Minister’s strong appeal for central assistance came through his speech, which was circulated and taken on record at the third Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog here on Sunday.

Captain Amarinder could not attend the meeting due to unavoidable reasons. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by Union Cabinet Ministers, State Chief Ministers, Vice Chairman, Members and CEO of NITI Aayog, along with senior officers from different states and Union Territories.

Lauding the central government’s Smart City initiative, the CM mooted the establishment of smart villages on the same lines for the development of Punjab’s rural infrastructure.

He urged the Central government to launch a Mission for this purpose, with adequate funding to upgrade rural infrastructure and bring the benefits of technology and markets to the state’s rural areas.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday refuted claims of any rift in the BJP-PDP alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir and said that his party will extend support to the state government.

BJP General Secretary and party in-charge of northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir Ram Madhav said there was "no rift in the BJP-PDP alliance".

Madhav was speaking to the media after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

"We have extended all support to the state," he said.

According to him, the party's main concern is to bring "normalcy" in the Kashmir Valley within one-two months.

He said that there was an issue regarding the elections to the Legislative Council. "We noticed lack of communication and will address it."

Mehbooba earlier in the day met Modi and invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to restore normalcy in the troubled state.

The Chief Minister said talks are the only way to "move forward" but before that a "conducive atmosphere" needs to be created in the valley.

Union minister Upendra Kushwaha was on Monday granted bail by a Bihar court in connection with a case relating to violation of the Model Code of Conduct during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ravi Kumar granted bail to Kushwaha on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 soon after the minister surrendered.

However, the judge took exception to the presence of security guards and other people with the Union Minister of State for HRD when he appeared before him in court. The guards and the others were asked to leave the room.

A case was registered at Town police station at Katihar in 2009 by polling officials against Kushwaha after his posters were found at the counting venue.

The case was filed under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.

Speaking to reporters later, Kushwaha demanded a CBI probe into the allegations levelled by senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family members.

"There must be a probe into the charges that the RJD supremo and his family members have amassed immovable property beyond their known sources of income," he said.

India's military expenditure grew around 8.5 per cent in 2016, making it the world's fifth largest spender at $55.9 billion, figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) revealed on Monday.

As per the figures, the US remains the world's largest military spendere registering a growth of 1.7 per cent between 2015 and 2016 to $611 billion.

Four others in the top 15 spenders include China, Japan, South Korea, Australia.

China is second on the list spending $215 billion, an increase of 5.4 per cent. 

However, the growth rate was "much lower" than in the previous years, the SIPRI report said.

Russia increased its spending by 5.9 per cent to $69.2 billion, making it the third largest spender. 

Saudi Arabia, the third largest spender in 2015, dropped to the fourth position in 2016 with its spending dropping by 30 per cent in 2016 to $63.7 billion, despite its continued involvement in regional wars.

Pakistan does not figure in the top 15 spenders, and spent $9.93 billion.

"The growth in US military expenditure in 2016 may signal the end of a trend of decreases in spending, which resulted from the economic crisis and the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq," the report said, adding however that US' 2016 figures remained 20 per cent lower than its peak in 2010.

"Despite continuing legal restraints on the overall US budget, increases in military spending were agreed upon by Congress," said Aude Fleurant, Director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) programme.

"Future spending patterns remain uncertain due to the changing political situation in the US."

Military expenditure in Western Europe rose for the second consecutive year and was up by 2.6 per cent, while falling oil revenue and associated economic problems attached to the oil-price shock has forced many oil-exporting countries to reduce military spending.

Last year's global military spending accounted for 2.2 per cent of the worldwide GDP. 

Military spending as a share of GDP, was highest in the Middle East with an average of 6.0 per cent, while the lowest was in the Americas, with an average of 1.3 per cent.

However, data for all Middle Eastern countries was not available. 

For countries where data is available, substantial increases were seen in Iran and Kuwait, while sizable decreases were noted in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, SIPRI said.A

In Asia and Oceania, military expenditure rose by 4.6 per cent in 2016. Spending levels are related to the many tensions in the region such as over territorial rights in the South China Sea.