The seventh and final phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, which began at 7 am on Wednesday, got over around 5 pm amid tight security. The polling witnessed a turnout of women voters in large numbers.

Around 56 per cent of the 1.41 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 4 pm in the elections covering 40 Assembly seats spread over seven districts. Among the voters in the final phase of polling, 64.76 lakh are women.

All eyes are on the Assembly segments in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.

Three Naxal-affected districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli, along with the five Assembly segments under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, are in prime focus.

In Jaunpur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Jafarabad seat Harendra Pratap Singh and four others were arrested for allegedly carrying voters to polling booths in two vehicles.

Polling concluded at 5 pm in all constituencies, except Naxal-hit Duddhi, Robertsganj and Chakia seats, where it ended at 4 pm.

The counting of votes polled in all the seven phases of the Assembly polls will be taken up on March 11.

Over 14,458 polling booths and 8,682 polling centres have been set up for Wednesday's exercise which will decide fate of 585 candidates, including 51 women.

The BJP is contesting 32 seats and its allies – the Apana Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party – are contesting on four seats each.

While the SP is contesting 31 seats, its ally the Congress is in the race for the remaining seats.

Terming the no-detention policy under the Right to Education (RTE) Act "unscientific", the Haryana government on Thursday said that it intends to reintroduce board examinations for Class V and VIII in the next academic session beginning April.

Replying to a question during the on-going budget session of the Assembly, Education Minister Ram Vilas Sharma said that following the review of the no-detention policy, in-principal decision has already been taken to re-introduce examinations for students up to Class VIII.

"This (no-detention policy) unscientific law made children mentally free from the free of studies. But it didn't work in Haryana. So we have introduced monthly evaluation for the students," the minister said.

"The Union government is expected to soon amend the RTE Act to change the on-detention policy. After this, we will formally introduce the board examination for Class V and VIII," he added. When the opposition members asked the minister to clarify if the government will reintroduce the examination system in the 2017-18 academic session, Sharma said, "Yes, it will be done in the coming session."

A senior official in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday accused the United States of provoking tensions after two separate incidents in the Gulf last week.

"A US Navy ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz changed its international route and approached to within 550 metres of Revolutionary Guards' boats in an unprofessional way," Mehdi Hashemi told the Guard's website Sepahnews.

He said actions by the United States and the United Kingdom in recent days showed they have "harmful, illegitimate and provocative objectives".

"Not only do they not want stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, but they seek to create tensions and a crisis," he said.

The Pentagon on Monday blasted the "unprofessional" behaviour of the Iranian navy.

It said an Iranian frigate last Thursday came within 150 yards (metres) of the civilian-crewed USNS Invincible.

Then on Saturday, a number of small assault craft came within 350 yards of the Invincible and other ships.

In both cases, the US ship had to change course to avoid a collision, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.

Davis accused Iranian forces of "a combination of unsafe or unprofessional behaviour" and warned that such incidents could cause a miscalculation or an accidental provocation.

He said Iranian actions in the crowded waters of the Gulf had been improving of late.

The Pentagon has previously voiced concern over a string of high-profile incidents in waters off Iran.

It has accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of conducting risky manoeuvres around US vessels, including some where the Americans have had to fire warning shots.

The USNS Invincible is equipped with powerful radar equipment to track ballistic missile trajectories.

The prefix "USNS" means the ship belongs to the US Navy but is unarmed or only lightly armed

About 600 forestry experts from different parts of the world will participate in the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference to be hosted in Dehradun early next month.

The prestigious meet will take place at Forest Research Institute, an institute of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, from April 3-7.

The theme of the meet this time is ‘Forests for Prosperity and Posterity.’

Organised in association with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the conference will bring academicians, forest practitioners, scientists, experts, representatives of international conservation and agencies across the world to Uttarakhand.

During the conference, heads of some of the prominent international forestry research organisations such as Center for International Forestry Research, International Union of Forest Research Organisations, Commonwealth Forestry Association, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and Food and Agriculture Organisation will also be participating.

The Commonwealth Forestry Conference is one of most prestigious event in forestry sector where scientists, academicians, forest managers and policy planners gather to deliberate upon latest issues, challenges, innovations and advancements and best practices for the long term conservation and management of forest resources.

The meet will also discuss about the cross-cutting areas such as livelihood generation, poverty alleviation, food security and women empowerment.

The conference will be organised with an aim to strengthen forest research and for the capacity building of the participating Commonwealth nations in the field of forestry research, management and also to build strategies to develop climate change mitigation and adaptation capacity.

A video of a man describing himself as the son of assassinated North Korean exile Kim Jong-Nam emerged on Wednesday, apparently the first time a family member has spoken about the killing.

The video was uploaded to the YouTube page of a previously unknown group, Cheollima Civil Defense (CCD), which claimed to have "extracted" vulnerable members of Jong-Nam's family with the help of the Dutch, US and South Korean authorities, and was keeping them under protection in an undisclosed location.

South Korea's intelligence agency confirmed the individual on the video is Kim Han-Sol.

His father was murdered at Malaysia's main airport last month by two women using the banned VX nerve agent, with Pyongyang widely blamed for the assassination.

"The man is indeed Kim Han-Sol," a spokesman for the National Intelligence Service told AFP.

The spokesman declined to give further details, including Kim's current whereabouts or any information about CCD.

In the video, the man says in English: "My name is Kim Han-Sol, from North Korea, part of the Kim family.

"My father has been killed a few days ago. I'm currently with my mother and my sister. We are very grateful to…" he says, before the audio cuts off and his mouth movements are blacked out.

He shows his North Korean diplomatic passport as evidence of his identity but the page that shows his particulars is digitally covered.

The 40-second video wraps up with him saying: "We hope this gets better soon." 

There was no indication where or precisely when the video was made.

Han-Sol, 21, is believed to have graduated from Sciences Po university in Paris and had been living in exile with his parents in the Chinese territory of Macau before he disappeared with his mother and sister following his father's death.

Because of his bloodline, Han-Sol could be seen as a rival figurehead in a state ruled by his uncle Kim Jong-Un and roiled by bloody purges.

Malaysia has yet to formally identify the dead man as Kim Jong-Nam or release the body, with police saying they are waiting for next-of-kin to come forward and provide a DNA sample.

On its website — registered only on Saturday — CCD said that it was protecting Kim Jong-Nam's family.

"Cheollima Civil Defense responded last month to an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong-Nam for extraction and protection. The three family members were met quickly and relocated to safety," it said, also in English.

China has granted preliminary approval for 38 new Trump trademarks, fueling conflict of interest concerns and questions about whether President Donald Trump is receiving special treatment from the Chinese government.

The trademarks pave the way for branded spas, massage parlors, golf clubs, hotels and even private bodyguard and escort services across China.

Trump has said he will not conduct new foreign deals while in office. And in China, it's common to register trademarks defensively, as a way to prevent trademark squatting.

All the marks were applied for in April 2016, while Trump was campaigning. China's Trademark Office published the preliminary approvals on February 27 and Monday. If no one objects, they will be formally registered after 90 days. All but three are in the president's own name.(AP)
 

Five mosques in the US have received intimidating messages, including a bomb threat and one saying "death is waiting for you and your kind", prompting calls for increasing security at Muslim facilities.

A mosque in Lexington, Kentucky, stepped up security following a bomb threat it received this weekend.

The bomb threat against Lexington's Masjid Bilal was received through the mail on Saturday from Sheffield, England, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a Facebook post.

The letter contained a green index card wrapped in a blank sheet of paper with the words, "An explosive device will be placed at your mosque very soon!" written on it.

The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on leaders of local mosques to improve their security measures after four mosques were threatened.

One mosque received a message threatening "death for you and your kind" from a self-declared "Muslim slayer", Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell was quoted as saying by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Three other mosques received identical emails threatening widespread attacks against American Muslims on March 15, Mitchell said.

The Greenview Madani Center, a mosque in Lawrenceville, recently received a mailed handwritten letter from a 'Muslim slayer' with the message, "Death is waiting for you and your kind," along with a crudely drawn picture of a decapitated person. The mosque alerted local law enforcement about the letter.

Masjid Omar bin Abdul Aziz in Norcross, Al-Farooq Masjid and another Atlanta-area mosque received a threatening email on February 18.

The emails, with the subject line "your one warning," stated in part, "…Muslims, Mexicans, blacks will (be) hunted nationwide until (they) are dead and gone… plan to run or die, this is a kindness that we give you all warning, take it and go." 

"While the perpetrators are being sought, mosque leaders should do all they can to protect their houses of worship by working with local law enforcement authorities, installing security cameras and employing security officers during the daily prayers," Mitchell said.

Also recently, two mosques in the US state of Maryland received threatening letters calling for the 'slaughter of Muslims'. Two Islamic centres in Silver Spring, Maryland, received the violent threats by mail.

The mosque incidents come amid a wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centres in New York, Michigan, New Jersey and other states.

The Himachal Pradesh government would soon launch ‘Women Helpline’ number 181 for ensuring safety of women, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said on Wednesday.

Addressing a function on International Women’s Day, Singh said that violence against women is an affront to the foundations of human rights, human decency and human dignity and the government is committed to put an end to it.

The CM said that 20 per cent posts of women constables and sub-inspectors had been mandated in the police force and at present, there are five women Police stations besides four anti-trafficking units comprising of women police force at Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kangra.

“Women are the pillars of the society and they need the skills and confidence to influence the decisions that directly affect their lives through direct participation in government and the security sector,” he said, adding even the State Women Commission and Nari Seva Sadan are working efficiently for ensuring security and justice to the women folk.

The CM said that ‘Muskaan’, an initiative of the government was started to improve the sex ratio and no doubt, the scheme had created wonders.

The government is strictly implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Act, (PNDT), Act and anyone found involved in pre-diagnosing practice, would be severely dealt with as per provision of the act.

“As of today, women were equal to their male counterparts in all spheres and to further strengthen them, the government had implemented various schemes including ‘Mukhya Mantri Kanyadaan Yojna’ in which the amount had been enhanced to Rs.40,000 for the marriage of a poor girl child.

"Besides this, ‘Mother Teresa Asahaya Matri Sambal Yojna’, ‘Mata Shabri Mahila Shasaktikaran’ schemes are also being implemented to financially assist the poor women,” he added.

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father Krishanaraj Rai, who has been undergoing treatment at Mumbai’s Lilawati Hospital for the last two weeks, has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Abhishek ,who was in New York for the shoot of his next film, rushed back to India to meet his father-in-law.

“Yes he (Krishnaraj Rai) has been in the hospital for nearly two weeks. Aishwarya is taking care of him despite her being alone as Abhishek was in New York for work.  He just got back," a source close to him said.

Recently, at Aaradhya’s sports day, Aishwarya was seen cheering for the kids and her own daughter too. But simultaneously she was also keeping a tab on her dad’s health, the source said.

Aishwarya has been frequenting hospital since the last two weeks to be by her father’s side.

The couple’s appearance at the hospital led to a lot of speculation and later the actor’s spokesperson confirmed the news.

A special NIA court on Wednesday acquitted Swami Aseemanand in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah bomb blast case, while three others have been found guilty of killing three people and injuring 15 others.

The accused, who have been convicted, are Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Gupta and Sunil Joshi (dead). Senior Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh (RSS) member Indresh Kumar has also been acquitted.

Patel and Gupta fined Rs.1 lakh each, the quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the court on March 16.

Magistrate Dinesh Gupta, had in February this year, adjourned the hearing as the court needed more time to study all documents submitted by the prosecution and the defence. The case was handed over to ATS Rajasthan and was later transferred to the NIA, which re-registered the case at the NIA police station in New Delhi on April 6, 2011.

There were as many as 149 witnesses in the case and 451 documents were examined, and the NIA filed three supplementary chargesheets in the case.

Aseemanand is an accused in several other cases of bombing, including the one at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid in 2007 and the Samjhauta Express blast the same year.

Nearly 70 passengers were killed in the Samjhauta train tragedy.

Aseemanand was jailed in 2010 after allegedly admitting to his involvement in the terror attack on the train. He later said he was tortured and made to give a false statement.

Asians who have type 2 diabetes may be at 26 per cent increased risk of death from cancers, warns a new study that included data from India, Bangladesh and 19 other countries.

Earlier studies had suggested that at any given body mass index (BMI), Asians are more susceptible to developing insulin resistance, and go on to have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in comparison with people of European extraction.

Researchers from New York University in the US, used data from about 19 cohorts which were further refined, resulting in a study population of 658,611 East Asians and 112,686 South Asians from China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, India and Bangladesh.

Participants averaged 53.9 years of age at the start of a study, and 37,343 cancer deaths were identified during a mean follow-up time of 12.7 years.

A detailed analysis was taken into account to study factors such as sex, age, smoking status and alcohol consumption.

It was found that having T2D led to a 26 per cent increase in the risk of dying from any form of cancer, even when taking into account factors such as BMI, alcohol consumption and smoking.

Statistically significant links between T2D and the risk of death from specific cancers, with data consistent with that reported in Western countries showing increased risk of death from cancers of liver, pancreas, bile duct, colorectum, and breast associated with T2D were found.

The strongest association was observed for cancers of the liver, thyroid and kidney (double the risk in each case), endometrium (2.7 times increased risk) and breast (1.7 times increased risk), relative to individuals who did not have T2D.

"Taken together, given the magnitude of the associations and the consistent data across different studies and populations, T2D should be considered as a risk factor for cancers in Asians, especially for liver cancer which has a high incidence in Asians," said Yu Chen from New York University.

The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured women sarpanchs who have worked for Swachh Bharat and said they have contributed immensely to make India clean.

"Today we are honouring women sarpanchs who have contributed immensely to the movement of making India clean," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the National Convention of Women Sarpanch in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

PM Modi lauded the efforts of women sarpanchs who want to bring changes in society.

"I can see the determination to make a positive difference when I meet these women Sarpanchs. They want to bring a qualitative change," he said.

"The women we are honouring today have broken so many myths. They have shown how a positive change has begun in rural India," he added.

The prime minister remembered Mahatma Gandhi's contribution towards Swachh Bharat and said cleanliness is more important than political freedom.

"Gandhiji said cleanliness is more important than political freedom. You can imagine the commitment he had towards cleanliness," he said.

"2019 we will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He always said India lives in the villages," he added.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi had in a series of tweets, saluted the indomitable spirit, determination and dedication of Nari Shakti.

In a tweet, he said, the various initiatives taken by his government seek to facilitate economic empowerment, self-reliance and social equality as far as Nari Shakti is concerned.

Women sarpanchs from different parts of the country attended the event.

Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle's First Man is set to release on October 12 next year in the US.

The film starring Ryan Gosling is based on James Hansen's biography First Man: The Life Of Neil A Armstrong and tells the story of NASA's mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong during the years 1961-1969,
reported Variety.

Chazelle and Gosling previously collaborated on La La Land which won the filmmaker a best director Academy Award
this year.
Universal studio announced the project in late December. Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen are producing the movie
through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner alongside Chazelle and Gosling. 

The Finance Ministry has asked other ministries not to breach financial propriety and restrict expenditure to 15 per cent ceiling in March to avoid expenditure rush in the last month of the fiscal.

With three weeks left for the end of the current fiscal, the ministry has asked various government departments and ministries, which are not on the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) portal, to update it about their expenditure and revenue collections on a daily basis.

Regular sanctions and bills should be put on the PFMS portal by March 20, the Finance Ministry said, adding only "very few" expenditure requests would be processed after that.

The PFMS, also known as Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), tracks fund disbursement and ensures that state treasuries are integrated with the Centre for smooth fund flow.

An office memorandum, which specifies that total expenditure be restricted to 33 per cent in the January-March quarter and 15 per cent in the month of March, said that there should be "no breach of financial propriety".

The Expenditure Department of the Finance Ministry has to monitor the actual receipts and expenditure vis-a-vis the budget estimate of 2016-17 and provide flash figures to the Budget division on a daily basis from March 1 to March 31.

"In order to facilitate this exercise, it has been decided that Ministries/Departments/Union Territories without legislature, who are still not on PFMS need to provide their receipts or expenditure… on same day," the expenditure department said in a communication.

It has also asked the CBDT and CBEC to update the daily tax collection figures to the expenditure department.

The fiscal deficit, the difference between government expenditure and revenue collection, shot up to Rs.5.64 lakh crore, or 105.7 per cent of the full-year target, at the end of January.

The government had budgeted a fiscal deficit of Rs.5.33 lakh crore or 3.5 per cent of GDP for the current fiscal ending March.

The government, by limiting expenditure to bare minimum, hopes to retain fiscal deficit at the budgeted level of 3.5 per cent in the fiscal.

"The last quarter expenditure must be limited to actual procurement of goods and services and reimbursement of expenditure already occurred," the Ministry said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had in the past observed that there is a huge rush of expenditure by the central government ministries during the last quarter of the financial year and in particular the last month of the fiscal.

The General Financial Rules (GFR) states that rush of expenditure particularly in the closing months of financial year shall be regarded as a breach of financial propriety and shall be avoided.

Alia Bhatt says feminism calls for gender equality but people misunderstand the essence of it and end up associating it with male bashing.

The actress says feminism does not demand "special" treatment for women.

"Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes
in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence o feminism. It is not about male bashing.
 "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there  should be similar treatment (for both)," Alia told.
 The 23-year-old star says she may not be a part of any women rights campaign, but it does not mean that she is not
a feminist.
  Alia believes enough has been said about women empowerment and people should realise that "equality" is a woman's birth right.
"If you are not campaigning for women rights you are not a feminist, that is also a big confusion. Even if I don't
campaign, I am a feminist. As the youth of today, I don't want more conversation on women empowerment because I feel that it is all talk and I don't understand this talk. Equality is our birth right."
 The actress says she could identify with her character of 'Vaidehi' in her upcoming film Badrinath Ki Dulhania.
 "I am closer to Vadehi. She is a feminist and very ambitious. I love that about her and I really connected with
that. She is very sensitive but at the same time she is more mature."
Directed by Shashank Khaitan and also starring Varun Dhawan in the male lead, Badrinath Ki Dulhania will release
this March 10.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched a helpline number 181 for women in distress in Odisha on the occasion of International Women s Day.

Patnaik launched the toll free helpline which will be available 24X7 in all the 30 districts of the state.

The helpline will extend prompt response to women affected by violence, provide information about women-related government schemes and programmes and a range of other services.

Lauding the state govenrment's efforts to empower women in the state, Patnaik said 50 lakh women have been able to raise their socio-economic condition by becoming part of the women self help groups.

More than 25 lakh women have also been benefited by about Rs 1100 crore by availing incentive through Mamata Yojana, a pregnency related welfare scheme of the state government.

Patnaik also praised the contribution of women towards state's achievement in reducing the IMR and MMR. He said the role of thousands of Anganwadi workers in saving lives of women and children needs to be highlighted.

The chief minister, while addressing the state level function on the International Women s Day, said women of the state have brought laurels in different fields like sports, entertainment, art and culture and others. He said the women of Odisha have now got back their confidence to march ahead to do something good for the society.

Patnaik, however, said that women should be aware of different schemes and programmes for them. He felicitated four anganwadi workers, four districts for spectacular work in integrated child development scheme and three organisations for their contribution towards protection of children.

Odisha's Biju Kanya Ratna and Mission Shakti have been instrumental for welfare of women and girls in the state, said WCD minister Usha Devi.

Manipur recorded a massive turnout of 86 per cent voting in the second and final phase of the state assembly elections, on Wednesday setting the highest turnout since 2009.

"Manipur records around 86 per cent voter turnout in the last phase of Assembly polls, the highest since 2009" the Election Commission said on Wednesday.

The second phase was held in 22 assembly constituencies for which 1,151 polling stations were set up. Voting was held in Thoubal, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong and Senapati.

With 98 candidates in the fray, the phase will decide the future of incumbent Chief Minister O Ibobi and rights activist-turned politician Irom Chanu Sharmila among others.

The polling which began at 7 am ended at 3 pm amid a few incidents of violence.

"There were some incidents of violence in Tamenglong Assembly segment. But the incidents took place outside the polling booths. The police have taken appropriate action," Chief Electoral officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said.

Some cases of damaging of Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) were reported in Chandel Assembly constituency as well.

"The damaging of EVMs will not damage the chips inside the EVMs and the votes polled will not be affected. So there is nothing to worry as we have replaced them with new EVMs," the CEO said.

The first phase of polling held in 38 constituencies on March 4 also recorded a turn out of over 80 per cent.

The results will be declared on March 11.

(With inputs from Agencies)