Newly-elected Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him about the issues concerning the Northeastern state.

During the 20-minute meeting, the chief minister briefed the prime minister regarding the financial health of the state and prevailing law and order situation there, official sources said.

The prime minister assured the chief minister of all central help for the all-round development of the state, they said.

This was the first meeting Singh had with Modi after his election as Chief Minister of Manipur.

Singh is heading a BJP-led coalition government in Manipur. This is the first BJP-led government in the northeastern state.

A motion has been tabled in the UK parliament condemning Pakistan's "arbitrary" move to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region, bordering disputed PoK, as its fifth province.

Bob Blackman, a Conservative Party MP, who regularly speaks out in support of the rights of Kashmiri Hindus in the House of Commons, tabled the Early Day Motion (EDM) titled 'Annexation of Gilgit-Baltistan as by Pakistan as its fifth frontier' on March 23.

EDMs are formal motions tabled in the House of Commons as a means of drawing attention to a particular issue or cause.

The motion said that Gilgit-Baltistan has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947 and the country is attempting to annex the already disputed area.

The EDM reads: "That this House condemns the arbitrary announcement by Pakistan declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its Fifth Frontier, implying its attempt to annex the already disputed area." 

It noted that "Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression." 

It further said that the attempts to change the demography of the region in violation of State Subject Ordinance and forcibly and illegally to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which further aggravates and interferes with the disputed territory." 

Other British MPs are expected to sign the EDM during the course of this week as a show of support to the motion.

A spokesperson for Blackman s office indicated that a formal debate on the issue is also likely to be proposed in coming weeks.

Pakistan's minister for inter-provincial coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Marach 14 told Pakistani media that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan.

He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes.

India has termed as "entirely unacceptable" any possible attempt by Pakistan to declare the Gilgit-Baltistan region, bordering disputed PoK, as the fifth province.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson said any such step would not be able to hide the illegality of Pakistan's occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir which it must vacate, forthwith.

Gilgit-Baltistan is treated as a separate geographical entity by Pakistan. It has a regional assembly and an elected Chief Minister.

Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh are the four provinces of Pakistan.

It is believed that China's concerns about the unsettled status of Gilgit-Baltistan prompted Pakistan to change its status.

Venkatesh says working with director Sudha Kongara in forthcoming Telugu sports drama Guru, which is slated for release on March 31, changed him as an actor.

A remake of Saala Khadoos, the film features Venkatesh as a washed-up boxing coach.

Talking about the film, Venkatesh told: "Sudha brought this story to me three years ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it up because I was unwell. She went ahead and did the film with Madhavan. When I saw the film, I was so moved that I hugged her. I told her in that instant that I'll do it."

Even though he has been part of several successful films over the years, Guru is very special for Venkatesh.

"It changed me as a person and actor. I learnt so much from this project and the whole credit goes to Sudha. It's for the first time in my career that I read a full-bound script before shooting a project. It helped me prepare myself better," he said.

The "Drishyam" actor also credits Sudha for making efforts to change his on-screen presence.

"She took the pain of going through most of my films and changed my look. Though I play a guru in the film, I surrendered to Sudha while shooting. She is my guru and working with her changed my perspective of how I look at roles," he said.

Venkatesh admits it has been his long-time desire to do a sports film.

"I have always yearned to do a sports film. Not long ago, I was offered a cricket-based subject but it wasn't convincing enough for me to accept. Though it's been a long wait to do one, I'm glad I got to do a project like Guru," he said.

The 56-year-old sports a salt-and-pepper look in the film. He is happy to have played his age.

"I didn't wear any make-up. I'm proud to have played my age. When we were shooting in Bheemunipatnam, a lot of people told me that I should continue doing such roles," he said, adding he decided to do Guru because he was bored of the monotony in his career.

The film also stars Ritika Singh as Venkatesh's protege, a fish-vendor-turned-boxing champion.

The Telangana government would study the possibility of giving a bonus to farmers in addition to the minimum support price paid for their produce, the assembly was informed on Monday.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced this while speaking during a debate in the House on Appropriation Bills.

He was responding to demands from N Uttam Kumar Reddy (Congress) for giving bonus to agriculturists.

Such a bonus is being given in Karnataka and some other states, Reddy said.

To support cultivators, the government has been offering power subsidy to them, a measure implemented in only a few states in the country, Rao said.

Rao also said his government has waived off farm loans worth Rs 17,000 crore.

He announced hikes in the 'mess charges' (monetary assistance) of a number of categories of students, including those staying in government hostels and day-scholars.

There are a total of 18 lakh such students and the financial burden on the exchequer would be Rs 117 crore per year, government sources said.

The chief minister said the social security pension of Rs 1,000 per month would be paid to an additional 81,000 beedi workers.

The European Union's diplomatic service on Monday demanded the release of demonstrators who were arrested during an anti-corruption protest in Russia.

In a statement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said the detained citizens, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who were arrested during a series of anti-corruption protests, should be released as they had the right to gather peacefully and to free speech, Efe news reported.

"Police operations in the Russian Federation prevented the exercise of basic freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly – which are fundamental rights enshrined in the Russian constitution," read the statement.

The EEAS called on Russian authorities to respect the international commitments it had made to the European Council and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Meanwhile, the head of the Council of Europe on Monday also urged Russian authorities to release the opposition protesters who were arrested in the mass demonstrations in cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said in a statement that those detained during the protests were exercising their freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The arrests "raise issues under the European Convention on Human Rights," Jagland said.

"I am particularly concerned about the reported detention of minors. I call for the release of all those detained," he added.

On Sunday, thousands of people gathered across Russia to protest against corruption in the country in a series of rallies called up by Navalny.

As the demonstrations were unauthorized, hundreds of people were arrested, including the opposition leader, who once detained tweeted: "Guys, I'm fine. Our focus of the day is the fight against corruption," urging his followers to ignore his arrest and continue protesting.

Navalny is to face a hearing on Monday, and on Twitter posted a picture of himself in court with the caption: "The time will come when we judge them (but honestly)".

The national protest day was organised by Navalny under the slogan "Dimon (a derogatory diminutive of Dmitry) will pay," referring to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whom the opposition leader accuses of being the most corrupt man in Russia.

The accusation was first made in early March, when Navalny published a video on YouTube that showed the results of a months-long investigation into the Prime Minister.

The video, which has been seen more than 10 million times, claimed Medvedev had illegally received at least $1.2 billion worth of property and funds through charitable foundations run by close friends and family.

Earlier this year, Navalny was found guilty of corruption in a case he said was fabricated for political motives, meaning he would no longer be able to run in national elections.
 

The Shiv Sena on Monday urged the Modi government to consider RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for the post of Indian President.

In a surprise statement, Sena MP and Saamana Executive Editor Sanjay Raut said the National Democratic Alliance – of which Sena is a member – and the BJP in particular should think of the RSS Sarsanghchalak if it wanted to fulfil its dream of achieving a "Hindu Rashtra".

"This has been discussed in our party. Even Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is of the opinion that for making India a 'Hindu Rashtra', Bhagwat should be made the President," Raut told mediapersons.

He said a staunch Hindu nationalist like Modi was the Prime Minister and another Hindutva proponent, Yogi Adityanath, had become Chief Minister of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh.

"He (Bhagwat) is a strong leader, staunch nationalist, has a deep knowledge of the Constituition. So if the BJP wants to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra', his name must be considered. He is the most suitable candidate," Raut said.

Born in Chandrapur in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Bhagwat, 66, has headed the RSS since March 2009.

The presidential election is due in July.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday pitched for an amicable resolution of the issue involving domestic airlines' blanket ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad.

Though she did not categorically call for the lifting of the fly-ban on Gaikwad, who had assaulted an Air India staffer last week, she said MPs need to attend Parliament and they cannot always travel by train.

"MPs need to attend Parliament and they cannot travel by train always. At times, they need to travel by plane also. I feel that this issue (blanket ban) should be resolved amicably through talks," she said.

Mahajan, however, said that she was not the one to pass a judgement but was trying to help resolve the issue as the agitating MPs have sought help from her as she was the Speaker.

"I am playing the role of 'tai' (elder sister). As of now, everybody is angry. It is time to calm down and resolve the issue. How the ban could be lifted needs to be discussed and resolved amicably," she told reporters after a meeting attended by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Sena MPs.

After Air India put him on the no-fly list, the Federation of Indian Airlines, which has Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir as its members, also imposed a ban on Gaikwad from flying on their network.

The airlines' move came after the MP had last week assaulted 62-year-old duty manager of Air India R Sukumar with slippers over not being able to fly business class despite having boarded an all-economy flight.

After the ban, Gaikwad had to travel by train from Delhi to Maharashtra.

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, after the meeting, said, "All airlines have come together banning him (Gaikwad), but it is our fundamental right (to travel by air)."

Mahajan said the MPs, so far, have not given notice of a privilege motion. Such a notice can be given by any member of either House of a state legislature or Parliament against anyone who is accused of breach of privilege.

This privilege provides certain rights and immunities to MPs, MLAs and MLCs.

A total 6,604 km of highways has been constructed during the April-February period against the target of 15,000 km for the full fiscal, Parliament was informed on Monday.

"The Ministry set an ambitious target of 15,000 km for the construction of National Highways during the current financial year 2016-17 and 6,604 km has been achieved as on February 28, 2017," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

He said the Ministry has allocated funds of Rs.1 lakh crore which includes internal and extra budgetary resources/ borrowings of Rs.59,279 crore for the development of national highways during the current fiscal.

In a reply to a separate query, the Minister said the Ministry has fixed a target of building 41 km of roads a day and 20 km a day was achieved as on February 28 as against 16 km a day in 2015-16.

He said 10,471 km of national highways has been constructed during the last two financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Carolina Marin isn't a typical Spaniard. In fact, the fiery Huelva native is far from it. The reigning Olympic champion is known for her fiery persona on the court, battling for every single point but can she perform under pressure?

By pressure, we mean a round of rapid fire of course! The Statesman put her through a gauntlet of ‘tough’ questions. Read on to see which way the 23-year-old sways when forced to pick between the frying pan and the fire!

PV Sindhu or Saina Nehwal?
“Seriously? How can you ask me to choose? I don’t have a favourite opponent! As long as I beat them, I'm fine with playing anyone!”

Paella or Butter Chicken?
“This is too easy! Of course, Paella! Paella any day. I know Indians love butter chicken, but Paella (One of Spain’s iconic dishes, a rice-based meal with chicken and beans) is my weakness!”

Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer?
“Another easy one! Rafa is my idol, so of course, him over Federer. Federer is a great champion, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a Spaniard who chooses him over Nadal!”

Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
“Messi! I know I have lots of fans who support Real Madrid, but sorry guys! It's just my personal opinion that the Argentine is the best player in the world!”

Dogs or horses?
“Ah! This is unfair! You know I like both, don't you? This is too tough to call. I need a time out! I cant choose one, give me both!”

Are you looking for a place which offers works ranging from renowned writers to that piece of particular subject that you have been working on?

For many, joining a formal library could be a costly affair and traveling back and forth could be quite time consuming and a hassle.  

Well, there seems to be a perfect solution for those students and researchers who are looking to access a wide range of study material which are not available to them locally- National Digital Library.

It is an initiative by the HRD Ministry which boasts of a huge collection of learning as well as literary resources from primary school to the post-graduation level, that too without any fees.

The HRD Ministry, through information and communication technology, has initiated the project which will create a virtual repository of learning resources in multiple languages across various streams such as science to social sciences. From research works to text books, the digital platform hosts more than 60 types of learning resources with author source of more than 1 lakh.

The Digital Library aims to integrate digital content available across institutions of the country with a single window access to learners across the streams and educational levels. Information and resources can be personalised on this platform depending upon their language, media of content and educational level and can be used on computers and tablets.

Coordinated by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the library currently has 70 lakh resource items uploaded in its system.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), which will replace the current CBEC, will become operational from June 1 in preparation for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, an official source said.

The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is presently the top policy-making forum for indirect taxes in the country. 

"The CBIC will become operational from June 1. There will be no need for different commissionerates for service tax, central excise and others. There will be only one body — Commissionerate for GST," a CBEC source said.

An internal letter from the Directorate General of Human Resource Development said the notification on the CBIC will be issued in the first week of May, ahead of the July 1 rollout date for GST.

The CBIC will have 21 zones, 101 GST taxpayer services commissionerates comprising 15 sub-commissionerates, 768 divisions, 3,969 ranges, 49 audit commissionerates and 50 appeals commissionerates.

"The reorganised formations will become operational from June 1," according to the internal order.

The report on reorganisation of the CBEC field formations to ensure a smooth transition to the GST regime was approved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley last week. 

"The zones, GST taxpayer services commissionerates and sub-commissionerates, audit and appeal commissionerates and the number of divisions and ranges to be formed under each state/union territory, have been approved by the competent authority," the order stated.

"Reorganisation of field formations will be required primarily for three reasons. Firstly, the job profile of current service tax and excise officials will undergo a change. Secondly, new taxpayers, that is, traders will now come under ambit of CBIC. And thirdly, geographical distribution of taxpayers will alter as more taxpayers are likely to be registered in metro cities," GST expert Pritam Mahure said.

The CBEC is taking all requisite steps to ensure that the administrative machinery is geared up to address these challenges in the GST regime, he said.

"For smooth transition to the GST, the government is taking pro-active measures. This order is an evidence that the government is not only ready from information technology perspective but also on the administration front. It appears that the government is diving deep into minute details to ensure that the GST is a success," Jigar Doshi, partner in chartered accountancy firm Sudit K. Parekh & Co, said.

"Given this, it is high time for the industries to look forward to the GST as a reality and take measures to ensure that they are not affected by metamorphic reform of the GST," he said.

The All India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation, which has proposed a 1.25 per cent tax rate on gems and jewellery products under the GST regime, is in dialogue with the government to resolve its concerns.

"Under Goods and Services (GST), what has been prescribed is the supply of goods. That means any movement of gem and jewellery products from one place to other will attract indirect tax," the Federation's former Chairman Bachhraj Bamalwa told reporters here on Monday. 

"We have 10-15 movement in the manufacturing value chain. Artisans make jewellery for jewellers and there are movements for processing. If the tax is levied at every movement, it would create a problem," Bamalwa said.

The GST Council also decided that a business entity, including artisans who earn Rs 20 lakh annually as making charge, will have to register themselves in the GST. 

"Such threshold limit would be problematic for the artisans. It would be cumbersome for them to comply with all the GST norms," Federation's Chairman Nitin Khandelwal said at its Preferred Manufacturers of India – Regional Networking Meet in the city.

"We have proposed 1.25 per cent tax rate for GST and we are continuously in dialogue with the government with regard to the rate. There will be chaos in the industry if the GST rate is fixed above our proposed rate. The rate is kept open as of now," Bamalwa said. 

The GST Council had decided on four tax rates under GST — 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. 

A cess would be further applicable on goods such as luxury cars, aerated drinks, pan masala and tobacco products. Khandelwal said the federation has so far met 17 finance ministers of different states, nine VAT commissioners, union revenue secretary and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. 

"They have assured us that our concerns will be taken care of," he said. 

Khandelwal said that after the central government's drive for digital payment, about 75 per cent of transactions are now made in the digital mode while the rest is still cash-based. 

Actor Abhishek Bachchan is teaming up with director Nishikant Kamat for a thriller drama.

The project will be produced by KriArj entertainment and Kyta Productions.

"Abhishek has loved the idea and he is charged up for this film as he has never tried his hands at thriller films.

There is no specific prep work required for the film," sources close to the project told.

"The shoot for the film will begin from May this year and hopefully the film will release during winter. The film will mostly be shot in two schedules," the sources added.

Apart from this project, KriArj entertainment have also tied up with John Abraham's production house JA Entertainment for a six movie deal and Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate Films.

At least 18 persons were killed in two separate road accidents in Manipur on Monday.

According to police, over 40 persons were admitted to hospitals.

At least 10 persons were killed and dozens injured in Senapati district when a bus fell into a gorge along National Highway 2.

Hospital sources said the death toll could rise as many of the injured were in critical condition.

In another accident, eight persons were killed and six injured when a bus plunged into a 300 metre deep gorge in Khongkhang.

Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who stars as Jaime Lannister in the Game of Thrones, says showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss thought that the season seven release date-reveal was embarrassing.

HBO came up with a plan to reveal the official release date for season seven of Game of Thrones by melting a large block of ice. Fans were eagerly waiting to see the results.

However, things didn't quite go as planned as technical difficulties with Facebook Live, along with an extremely lengthy melting time, led to fans growing very impatient.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Coster-Waldau said the showrunners thought the entire affair was embarrassing, reports independent.co.uk.

He said: "I spoke to Dan (Weiss) and David (Benioff) about that and they were like, 'Oh God! That's embarrassing'. Everyone was like, 'What's going to happen?, 'It's melting!', 'It crashed!', 'Oh my god!'… It's like, just walk away… just walk away. It's just a date.

"You know, I was actually thinking, 'Is there going to be a backlash and people will think, F**k you guys for that!' But that's really happened with every time the show kills off a major character: 'Never again! F**k you! I'm never going to watch this show' and, you know, they keep coming back."

The seventh season of the popular fantasy drama series Game of Thrones will premiere on July 16. It will be back in India on Star World, Star World HD and Star World Premiere HD. The final season likely will air in 2018.

Thomas Chandy,69, is all set to become a minister in Kerala, following the resignation of his party colleague AK Saseendran.

Saseendran on Sunday resigned after an audio emerged in which he was heard having a lewd conversation with a woman on the phone.

Both Chandy and Saseendran belong to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the ally of the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the state. Chandy is a three time legislator.

The name of Chandy has been cleared after CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters in Kochi on Monday that the NCP was free to decide on a ministerial candidate, as they were an ally of the LDF.

NCP state president Uzhavoor Vijayan earlier in the day told reporters that being an ally of the LDF, they have a rightful claim to a cabinet berth.

"Tomorrow our party's state committee is meeting and we will decide on what needs to be done as we have one more legislator, Chandy. We are an ally of the LDF and hence we have a natural claim of getting a cabinet post," he said.

Chandy, who has business interests in Kuwait, and also owns a plush lake-view resort in Alappuzha, came into the political spectrum of Kerala by joining hands with K.Karunakaran in 2005.

This was after the latter broke away from the Congress party and formed his own outfit DIC-KA in 2005.

Chandy was handpicked by Karunakaran. Just before the 2006 assembly polls the DIC-KA struck an electoral tie-up with the Congress-led UDF and he contested from the Kuttanad assembly seat in Alappuzha district.

Chandy was the only DIC-K candidate to win in the polls.

In 2006, Karunakaran merged his party with the NCP which was an ally of the Left Democratic Front.

Soon after the merger, the NCP was booted out of the LDF.

It was only in 2010 after Karunakaran and his son K.Muraleedharan ended their association with the NCP and returned to the Congress party, that the NCP was back in the LDF fold.

Chandy decided to go with the NCP, which fielded him in 2011 and 2016 from the Kuttanad assembly seat, which he won.

When Pinarayi Vijayan formed his cabinet, trouble broke out in the NCP with both Saseendran and Chandy staking claim to the lone cabinet berth given to their party. 

Finally it was decided to split the five year term equally between the two, with Saseendran getting the first term.

With the green signal coming from the CPI-M and the NCP keen to be part of the governing regime, it's now only a matter of time that Chandy's name is cleared by the LDF.

The only question that remains is will Chandy be sworn in before the Malappuram Lok Sabha by-election on April 12.
 

Thomas Chandy,69, is all set to become a minister in Kerala, following the resignation of his party colleague AK Saseendran.

Saseendran on Sunday resigned after an audio emerged in which he was heard having a lewd conversation with a woman on the phone.

Both Chandy and Saseendran belong to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the ally of the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the state. Chandy is a three time legislator.

The name of Chandy has been cleared after CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters in Kochi on Monday that the NCP was free to decide on a ministerial candidate, as they were an ally of the LDF.

NCP state president Uzhavoor Vijayan earlier in the day told reporters that being an ally of the LDF, they have a rightful claim to a cabinet berth.

"Tomorrow our party's state committee is meeting and we will decide on what needs to be done as we have one more legislator, Chandy. We are an ally of the LDF and hence we have a natural claim of getting a cabinet post," he said.

Chandy, who has business interests in Kuwait, and also owns a plush lake-view resort in Alappuzha, came into the political spectrum of Kerala by joining hands with K.Karunakaran in 2005.

This was after the latter broke away from the Congress party and formed his own outfit DIC-KA in 2005.

Chandy was handpicked by Karunakaran. Just before the 2006 assembly polls the DIC-KA struck an electoral tie-up with the Congress-led UDF and he contested from the Kuttanad assembly seat in Alappuzha district.

Chandy was the only DIC-K candidate to win in the polls.

In 2006, Karunakaran merged his party with the NCP which was an ally of the Left Democratic Front.

Soon after the merger, the NCP was booted out of the LDF.

It was only in 2010 after Karunakaran and his son K.Muraleedharan ended their association with the NCP and returned to the Congress party, that the NCP was back in the LDF fold.

Chandy decided to go with the NCP, which fielded him in 2011 and 2016 from the Kuttanad assembly seat, which he won.

When Pinarayi Vijayan formed his cabinet, trouble broke out in the NCP with both Saseendran and Chandy staking claim to the lone cabinet berth given to their party. 

Finally it was decided to split the five year term equally between the two, with Saseendran getting the first term.

With the green signal coming from the CPI-M and the NCP keen to be part of the governing regime, it's now only a matter of time that Chandy's name is cleared by the LDF.

The only question that remains is will Chandy be sworn in before the Malappuram Lok Sabha by-election on April 12.