The Pakistan Foreign Office on Friday said they have taken the matter of tracing the two Indian Sufi clerics who went missing in Pakistan since Wednesday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria confirmed the request which had been received and forwarded to the Interior Ministry, who are pursuing the matter.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said she had spoken to the Pakistani authorities regarding the matter seeking immediate repatriation.

"We have taken up this matter with government of Pakistan and requested them for an update on both the Indian nationals in Pakistan," Sushma tweeted.

The two Indian nationals identified as Syed Asif li Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, who went to Pakistan on March 17, was reported missing after they landed at Karachi airport.

"Indian nationals Syed Asif li Nizami aged 80 years and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8, 2017. Both are missing after they landed at Karachi airport," she added.

Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia dargah. The two priests had gone to Pakistan as part of exchanges between Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah in India and Data Darbar in Lahore.

The two priests were last seen together at Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she would be happy to join a combined anti-BJP front if any formal proposal comes her way before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"I will be happy if there is a combined front. If there is any formal proposal, I am there. I have no problems," Banerjee said at a press conference, when asked whether she was open to joining such a group.

She also claimed that existence of a good government and a strong political opposition is important for the betterment of the country.

"In democracy, there is a government and an opposition. For the betterment of the country, the party running the government should do good work and the opposition party should also be strong," she said.

Responding to the claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party's ascendancy in the state after the massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Banerjee said that the BJP will not be able to reach the helm in West Bengal anytime soon.

"They cannot. They are still languishing as the fourth largest political party here. How will they capture? Forcefully? If they target Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, we will target India," she asserted.

"I have complete trust in Bengal. Bengal is not a place where you will divide people by saying or doing something. The people won't accept that," she added.

Fishermen from this island and few other districts will resume fishing operations from Saturday, after over a week-long stir to protest the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at a meeting of Fishermen's' Associations here on Friday, Rameswaram Fishermen's Association President, S Emiret said.

The decision was taken keeping in mind the livelihood of the fishing community, he said.

Fishermen of 13 districts including Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam had resolved to boycott fishing from March 6, to condemn the killing of 22-year-old Bridgo.

They staged demonstrations here demanding the Centre's intervention in the matter.

The unexpected results of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab has put the illegal betting business in a fix as the betting chain heads have denied to honour deals struck during the elections. This has made the situation difficult for the middle agent who are now under pressure of those who won big. 

Pushed into a corner, these middle men and regional dealers are holding covert meetings to find a way and settle the outstanding losses. Such meetings got busted in Jaipur and booking agents of several states were arrested from a five star hotel in Jaipur.

"Among the 18 arrested there are agents from Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and several other states. The initial investigation indicate that the betting rings operators have denied to pay the dues of UP and Punjab elections and these middle men were now under pressure of those to have won money " DCP east Jaipur, Kunwar Rashtrdeep told the Statesman.

According to sources, 70 such middle agents from across the country had arrived in Jaipur for the meeting. The ring operators were also supposed to attend the meet however they never showed up.

"Those arrested have named few influential people of Rajasthan and other states to have been operating these rings. However, they can neither be named or arrested on mere verbal allegations of suspected bookies" says a police officer. 

It is nearly impossible to estimate the disputed betting amount. Unconfirmed sources claim that bets of more than Rs 400 crore were played at the betting rings of Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. The turnover across country is to cross several thousand crores. 

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal on Friday said that the BJP would score bigger win in Himachal Pradesh than Uttarakhand in the forthcoming assembly elections and would also win Bhoranj Assembly by-elections by a huge margin.

Addressing party workers during a function, which was organised to celebrate party’s victory in recently concluded assembly elections, Dhumal said that BJP’s huge win in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh elections proves that the people of the country are supporting the policies and programs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government.

“The youth of the country wants to root out corruption from the country. This is the reason why people had come out in huge numbers and voted for the BJP,” he said.

Dhumal said earlier Congress leaders used to ask us when the promised ‘Good Days’ (Acche din) would come and now, we can proudly say that the good days for good people have begun in the country.

“However, the good old days of Congress party would never come as they would have now to face the consequences of the corrupt acts that were committed by its leaders in the last 60 years,” he said.

The leader of opposition said even the former chief minister of Jammu Kashmir Umar Adbullah had understood the mood of electorate of the country.

“In a tweet after BJP”s win Abdullah had said Congress party should now prepare itself for 2024 General elections as BJP would win 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

In fact a US based agency has claimed in a survey that Modi would secure huge win in the 2019 General Elections in the country, he added.

The BJP’s victory celebrations were attended by BJP MLA Suresh Bhardwaj, Vice President Ganesh Dutt and Organisation General Secretary Pawan Rana and other local leaders.

The Tibetan government in exile unanimously passed a resolution to express solidarity with the people inside Tibet on the third day of the ninth session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile at Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, around 230 kms from here.

The motion was moved by Tibetan Parliamentarian Geshe Monlam Tharchin and seconded by Tibetan Parliamentarian Gyarik Thar.

Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile expressed admiration for the courage of the Tibetan men and women who have sacrificed their lives for self-immolation protests and those protestors who continue to endure hardship and misery in Chinese prisons.

The Parliamentarians also offered condolences and expressed solidarity with the family members of deceased Tibetan who laid their lives for a free nation.

An official of Tibetan government said given the Chinese leadership’s continuous claim of being committed to seeking ‘truth from facts’, we urge the Chinese leadership to follow the dictum by investigating the reasons for the self-immolations in Tibet.

“The Chinese leadership should resolve the Sino-Tibetan conflict through the mutually-beneficial ‘Middle Way Approach’ put forward by Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration,” he said.

The official said the Tibetan government appeal to leaders across the world to immediately take up the responsibility in a result-oriented way to explain to the Chinese leaders to realize their Tibetan people’s demands and to protect their lives.

The Tibetan parliament also expressed gratitude to the governments across the world who had displayed concern over the serious and tragic situation in Tibet. “But at the same time, we also urge the global leaders to ensure an immediate end to the current tragic situation in Tibet today. We also vehemently reiterate our appeal to the United Nations to immediately appoint and dispatch an envoy to investigate the current situation in Tibet,” the official added.

Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja was on Friday crowned as the king on Day 2 of the third Test against Australia as he took the best advantage of the transforming pitch conditions and that too at the right time, at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.

Amidst all the action-packed drama, here are some talking points from the second Day.

Fiery start by Umesh Yadav

The 29-year-old Maharashtra lad Umesh Yadav started the day play on an aggressive note as he bowled a fiery delivery to break the batsman’s willow in two.

Yadav bowled a 140 kmph delivery to Glenn Maxwell, who blocked the bat for defense that caused the bat to split into two parts.

Consequent to the incident, the dynamic paceman showed his biceps to the Australian, expressing how much power he carries under his sleeve. 

However, both the cricketers had a great laugh over that.

Maxwell marks comeback with century

Playing his fourth Test match that too after a gap of two years and four months, Glenn Maxwell staged a strong comeback as he scored 104 runs off 185 balls with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes.

The 28-year-old batsman became the second Australian to score a century in all-three formats after Shane Watson, who did the same in 2016.

With Steve Smith, Maxwell put a record partnership of 191 runs for the fifth-wicket.

Jadeja’s five-wicket haul

The Ranchi turf that made its Test debut on Thursday showed a great transformation on Day 2 and it was Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja who understood the transformation the best and exploited it to the fullest.

Jadeja turned fortunes for India as he took five wickets in a session highly dominated by the Aussies.

In the second Test also, Jadeja emerged as a game-changer when he claimed a 6-wicket haul to help India win by 75 runs.

The stunning skipper Steve Smith

The biggest share of today’s entertainment came from the exemplary 178-run knock by Steve Smith (not out), who took the charge of Australians early from the start.

In the batting line-up that featured four batsmen dismissed for a single-digit score, Smith steadied the innings to bring hopes for the Aussie fans. His 361-ball measured innings were decorated with 17 boundaries.

With this, the 28-year-old became the fifth overseas captain to score a 150-plus knock. Earlier, West Indies’ Clive Lloyd and England’s Alastair Cook had done it thrice and twice respectively.

India’s strong fightback

Despite losing his wicket early in Indian innings, KL Rahul’s swift 67 runs were causative and gave India a sturdy start. He struck nine boundaries to keep the spectators at Ranchi off their feet.

Murali Vijay (42) and Cheteshwar Pujara (10) were batting as India reach 120/1 at stumps, trailing the Aussies by 331 runs with nine wickets in hand.

ESAF Small Finance Bank, Kerala's first private sector bank, was launched here on Friday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The bank, promoted by ESAF Microfinance and Investments (P) Ltd, has announced that in its first year it will open 85 branches.

As per RBI guidelines, the bank is required to open 25 per cent of its branches in unbanked rural centres besides in cities like Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad in the first year.

"ESAF Microfinance, which presently has a network of 285 branches in 93 districts spread over 11 states, will currently convert all its existing branches into customer service centres or ultra-small branches or satellite offices," said K Paul Thomas, Managing Director and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank.

ESAF Microfinance, which owes its success to the doorstep delivery of services, will replicate the same model for the bank.

"We are planning to appoint 10,000 agents for providing the banking services at doorsteps. The agents will provide services such as account opening, banking transactions and small value loans," added Thomas.

The bank is targeting a business of Rs.20,000 crore by 2020.

The Tibetan Parliament in exile called for the need to boost the liaison initiatives and official reach, particularly through Chinese language in order to reach out and cater to the Chinese public through avenues, including digital and online platforms.

The parliamentarians also questioned the exile government’s Department of Information and International Relations on the front and called for bolstered inventiveness on the issue in the future.

The Tibetan legislators urged the administration to review and strengthen liaison initiatives as well as improving human resources, particularly Chinese liaison officers with regards to improving links with the Chinese intellectuals and masses.

Tibetan Prime Minister, Lobsang Sangay, who also holds Information and International Relations portfolio, said the administration would be hosting a meeting followed by workshop for Tibetans with Chinese language proficiency from North America, Europe and India in the coming months.

Five Indians, including Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shruti Shibulal of The Tamara Hospitality, have made it to the World Economic Forum's 100 Young Global Leaders list.

The other individuals who represented India in the list include Ambarish Mitra Founder and CEO Blippar, a mobile phone app business valued at $1.5 billion; Hindol Sengupta Editor-at large Fortune India and Rwitwika Bhattacharya – Agarwal Founder and CEO Swaniti Initiative.

There were nine global leaders from South Asia, out of which five are from India. Besides, there are some persons of Indian origin in the US and Europe were also named in the list.

Each year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) selects 100 young leaders, under the age of 40, who are tackling the world's most complex challenges with innovative approaches.

In this year's class of 100 Young Global Leaders, half the intake come from emerging economies, reflecting a trend towards greater diversity in global leadership.

"Selected into a five-year programme, this year's class of 100 Young Global Leaders is split evenly between business and not-for-profit sectors building a global community of peers who can capitalise on diverse talents, experiences and networks to bridge divides that exist in society and achieve more together than they could separately," WEF noted.

The Class of 2017 features two of the world's top scientists on genome editing: Luhan Yang, chief scientist at eGenesis Biosciences, and Feng Zhang, a core member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

From the public sector, the list features Aja Brown the youngest mayor to be elected in Compton, California.

Among those representing the private sector is Katie Hill, an innovator who leads Apple's ambitious new clean energy programme, converting the company's manufacturing worldwide to renewable energy.

Five Indians, including Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shruti Shibulal of The Tamara Hospitality, have made it to the World Economic Forum's 100 Young Global Leaders list.

The other individuals who represented India in the list include Ambarish Mitra Founder and CEO Blippar, a mobile phone app business valued at $1.5 billion; Hindol Sengupta Editor-at large Fortune India and Rwitwika Bhattacharya – Agarwal Founder and CEO Swaniti Initiative.

There were nine global leaders from South Asia, out of which five are from India. Besides, there are some persons of Indian origin in the US and Europe were also named in the list.

Each year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) selects 100 young leaders, under the age of 40, who are tackling the world's most complex challenges with innovative approaches.

In this year's class of 100 Young Global Leaders, half the intake come from emerging economies, reflecting a trend towards greater diversity in global leadership.

"Selected into a five-year programme, this year's class of 100 Young Global Leaders is split evenly between business and not-for-profit sectors building a global community of peers who can capitalise on diverse talents, experiences and networks to bridge divides that exist in society and achieve more together than they could separately," WEF noted.

The Class of 2017 features two of the world's top scientists on genome editing: Luhan Yang, chief scientist at eGenesis Biosciences, and Feng Zhang, a core member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

From the public sector, the list features Aja Brown the youngest mayor to be elected in Compton, California.

Among those representing the private sector is Katie Hill, an innovator who leads Apple's ambitious new clean energy programme, converting the company's manufacturing worldwide to renewable energy.

India has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen issue is part of the larger issue which includes Pakistan's support to terrorism in the country, the government said on Friday.

In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said, 13 rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between the two countries, led by their respective defence secretaries.

"Indian government has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan's support to terrorism in India," he said.

Bhamre said the government is cognizant of the strategic importance of Siachen, also known as world's highest battlefield, and requisite forces have been deployed in the area keeping in the view the threat perception, ground situtaion and other operational aspects.

"Besides, various modern technological equipment are being utilised by army for surveillance in Siachen which includes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and different types of radars," Bhamre said.

Responding to another question on steps taken by the Indian Coast Guard to prevent Indian fishermen from crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), Bhamre said, since 2007, approximately 34,886 Indian fishermen/ fishing boats have been shephereded back from the IMBL.

India has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen issue is part of the larger issue which includes Pakistan's support to terrorism in the country, the government said on Friday.

In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said, 13 rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between the two countries, led by their respective defence secretaries.

"Indian government has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan's support to terrorism in India," he said.

Bhamre said the government is cognizant of the strategic importance of Siachen, also known as world's highest battlefield, and requisite forces have been deployed in the area keeping in the view the threat perception, ground situtaion and other operational aspects.

"Besides, various modern technological equipment are being utilised by army for surveillance in Siachen which includes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and different types of radars," Bhamre said.

Responding to another question on steps taken by the Indian Coast Guard to prevent Indian fishermen from crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), Bhamre said, since 2007, approximately 34,886 Indian fishermen/ fishing boats have been shephereded back from the IMBL.

Country singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have been in the news for their break-up and they are yet again in the limelight and Blake’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani is rumoured to be troubled because of the news.

Shelton and Lambert’s divorce happened almost at the same time as Gwen and Gavin Rossdale’s break-up. Since then, Gwen and Blake’s flirty romance has been the talk of town. As both are judges of the TV reality show The Voice, there has been a rumour that Blake might get down on one knee for Stefani.

But a sudden twist in the story happened when a source revealed that exes Blake and Miranda had a reunion in Nashville recently.

Allegedly Blake poured out his heart to Miranda and expressed his regret and talked about the baggage he has been carrying since their split.

Apparently Gwen has no idea that a reunion like that happened.

It will be interesting to know what Gwen has to say about this little reunion and if it will affect the equation of this duo.

Country singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have been in the news for their break-up and they are yet again in the limelight and Blake’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani is rumoured to be troubled because of the news.

Shelton and Lambert’s divorce happened almost at the same time as Gwen and Gavin Rossdale’s break-up. Since then, Gwen and Blake’s flirty romance has been the talk of town. As both are judges of the TV reality show The Voice, there has been a rumour that Blake might get down on one knee for Stefani.

But a sudden twist in the story happened when a source revealed that exes Blake and Miranda had a reunion in Nashville recently.

Allegedly Blake poured out his heart to Miranda and expressed his regret and talked about the baggage he has been carrying since their split.

Apparently Gwen has no idea that a reunion like that happened.

It will be interesting to know what Gwen has to say about this little reunion and if it will affect the equation of this duo.

India and Russia are setting up a $1 billion fund to promote mutual investments in infrastructure and technology projects, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.

Both the countries would contribute $500 million to the fund, Sitharaman said while addressing India-Russia Business Forum at the ongoing International Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS) here on Thursday.

While the Russian funds would be channeled through Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Indian contribution will be accrued from National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

Sitharaman elaborated upon other measures being taken by Russia and India to scale up their economic engagement and to boost bilateral trade and investment.

As part of these initiatives, the India Russia CEO Forum will hold its meeting this year at a mutually convenient date.

The forum was constituted in St Petersburg in June 2016.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Russia is estimated at $1.2 billion till date while Indian investment in Russia is around USD 4.9 billion.

"There is tremendous potential for enhancing such investments," the minister said, adding that initiatives like Make-in-India would catalyse Russian investment in several Indian sectors including Defence production.

"The Make-in-India initiative was launched by the government in order to encourage businesses to manufacture products in the country, creating additional jobs for local population. This is a major drive to foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure," she said.

India and Russia are engaged in robust cooperation in the energy sector, including collaborations in civil nuclear energy, hydrocarbons and renewable energy.

India and Russia are setting up a $1 billion fund to promote mutual investments in infrastructure and technology projects, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.

Both the countries would contribute $500 million to the fund, Sitharaman said while addressing India-Russia Business Forum at the ongoing International Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS) here on Thursday.

While the Russian funds would be channeled through Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Indian contribution will be accrued from National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

Sitharaman elaborated upon other measures being taken by Russia and India to scale up their economic engagement and to boost bilateral trade and investment.

As part of these initiatives, the India Russia CEO Forum will hold its meeting this year at a mutually convenient date.

The forum was constituted in St Petersburg in June 2016.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Russia is estimated at $1.2 billion till date while Indian investment in Russia is around USD 4.9 billion.

"There is tremendous potential for enhancing such investments," the minister said, adding that initiatives like Make-in-India would catalyse Russian investment in several Indian sectors including Defence production.

"The Make-in-India initiative was launched by the government in order to encourage businesses to manufacture products in the country, creating additional jobs for local population. This is a major drive to foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure," she said.

India and Russia are engaged in robust cooperation in the energy sector, including collaborations in civil nuclear energy, hydrocarbons and renewable energy.