On her way to Bengaluru jail, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary VK Sasikala visited Jayalalithaa's memorial on Wednesday and turned emotional while paying homage to the latter.

“Sasikala turns emotional at Jayalalithaa's memorial,” media reports stated, adding, “She will travel by road from Chennai to Bengaluru”.

Sasikala left Poes Garden residence on Wednesday morning in a car.

Meanwhile, party leaders are hopeful of AIADMK government formation in Tamil Nadu.

“I am hopeful E Palaniswami will be invited by the Governor to form government,” KA Sengottaiyan, a loyalist of Sasikala, said.

“AIADMK members are united” to face any challenge, Sengottaiyan added.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday has denied a plea seeking more time for Sasikala to surrender.

Sasikala, who was elected General Secretary of AIADMK following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, was elected leader of the legislature party on February 5.

A Brazilian court has accepted a formal charge of 184 accounts of money laundering against former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral.

Cabral has been in prison since November 2016 when he was arrested for another accusation. This is now his fourth indictment for corruption-related crimes.

In Tuesday's statement from the court, Cabral is accused of laundering 39 million reais ($12.6 million), Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten others were also denounced for participating in the governor's money laundering scheme, including Cabral's wife Adriana Ancelmo.

Last year, a police investigation found that Ancelmo's jewelry collection alone amounted to over 6.5 million reais ($2.1 million) and that most of the pieces had not been included in the couple's financial statements.

Cabral is accused of making a fortune out of embezzlement and bribes in exchange for favouring companies in many construction projects for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games here.

As the governor suddenly grew rich, the state was drowning in debt.

Cabral's disastrous administration is widely regarded as the main reason why Rio de Janeiro had to declare a state of financial emergency in 2016.

Cabral's scheme is believed to have taken over 310 million reais ($100.4 million) from the state's coffers, according to judicial authorities.

A Brazilian court has accepted a formal charge of 184 accounts of money laundering against former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral.

Cabral has been in prison since November 2016 when he was arrested for another accusation. This is now his fourth indictment for corruption-related crimes.

In Tuesday's statement from the court, Cabral is accused of laundering 39 million reais ($12.6 million), Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten others were also denounced for participating in the governor's money laundering scheme, including Cabral's wife Adriana Ancelmo.

Last year, a police investigation found that Ancelmo's jewelry collection alone amounted to over 6.5 million reais ($2.1 million) and that most of the pieces had not been included in the couple's financial statements.

Cabral is accused of making a fortune out of embezzlement and bribes in exchange for favouring companies in many construction projects for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games here.

As the governor suddenly grew rich, the state was drowning in debt.

Cabral's disastrous administration is widely regarded as the main reason why Rio de Janeiro had to declare a state of financial emergency in 2016.

Cabral's scheme is believed to have taken over 310 million reais ($100.4 million) from the state's coffers, according to judicial authorities.

With an aim to encourage an alternative way of viewing photography, JaipurPhoto this year will make the medium more "democratic and accessible" with 19 site specific exhibitions across four heritage buildings here.

Produced by Orange Cat Productions in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the 10-day-long festival that begins on February 24, has been curated by London-based photography critic Federica Chiocchetti along with Lola Mac Dougall, the artistic director for the event.

"By exhibiting outdoors, in public locations and using large-size prints, the festival aims to encourage an alternative way of viewing photography – one that is more democratic and accessible, and which does away with the notion that photographic prints are inherently fragile, not to be touched and gallery bound," says Dougall.

Chiocchetti who has never been to India had to "imagine" and "study" Jaipur and India from far away – felt inclined to search for photographic works that "subtly connected the notions of travel with ideas of the imaginary and the unexpected".

Some of the themes that will be addressed during the event include the concept of the fakecation, travel-fashion photography, mass tourism, the homo mobilis, the last trip, photography as a healing tool, travelling in time, the photographic backdrop as a substitute for imaginary trips, difficult travels and a certain need for visual appropriation that characterises travelling today.

The prints in large-format have been adapted to the architecture of the venues and will be displayed at the Hawa Mahal, the Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK), the Albert Hall Museum and the City Palace here.

"One of the gems of the 2017 edition is a show that will be staged inside the Albert Hall Museum and we are excited at the prospect of inserting contemporary photography into this fascinating setting.

"Travel photography serves as the running thread through our exhibitions. Travel and photography have enjoyed a privileged relationship since the invention of the medium and the festival will highlight how this relationship is relevant even today," says Dougall.

With an aim to encourage an alternative way of viewing photography, JaipurPhoto this year will make the medium more "democratic and accessible" with 19 site specific exhibitions across four heritage buildings here.

Produced by Orange Cat Productions in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the 10-day-long festival that begins on February 24, has been curated by London-based photography critic Federica Chiocchetti along with Lola Mac Dougall, the artistic director for the event.

"By exhibiting outdoors, in public locations and using large-size prints, the festival aims to encourage an alternative way of viewing photography – one that is more democratic and accessible, and which does away with the notion that photographic prints are inherently fragile, not to be touched and gallery bound," says Dougall.

Chiocchetti who has never been to India had to "imagine" and "study" Jaipur and India from far away – felt inclined to search for photographic works that "subtly connected the notions of travel with ideas of the imaginary and the unexpected".

Some of the themes that will be addressed during the event include the concept of the fakecation, travel-fashion photography, mass tourism, the homo mobilis, the last trip, photography as a healing tool, travelling in time, the photographic backdrop as a substitute for imaginary trips, difficult travels and a certain need for visual appropriation that characterises travelling today.

The prints in large-format have been adapted to the architecture of the venues and will be displayed at the Hawa Mahal, the Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK), the Albert Hall Museum and the City Palace here.

"One of the gems of the 2017 edition is a show that will be staged inside the Albert Hall Museum and we are excited at the prospect of inserting contemporary photography into this fascinating setting.

"Travel photography serves as the running thread through our exhibitions. Travel and photography have enjoyed a privileged relationship since the invention of the medium and the festival will highlight how this relationship is relevant even today," says Dougall.

The wife of BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that she had met her husband and was convinced that he was safe.

Yadav, whose social media video clip on "substandard food" triggered an uproar, got to meet his wife at the battalion Jammu and Kashmir's Samba area where he was posted, she told the court. 

A division bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Justice Vinod Goel subsequently disposed off Sharmila Devi's habeas corpus plea to find her "missing husband" as she had no information about his whereabouts.

Appearing for the Border Security Force, advocate Gaurang Kanth told the court that Yadav purchased a new mobile phone and there was "no restriction" on him from talking to his family.

The BSF had taken away Yadav's personal mobile phone that he used to upload the videos and said it was part of the investigations.

After the High Court's direction on February 10, the BSF allowed Yadav's wife to meet him and also to stay overnight for two days.

Sharmila Devi filed a habeas corpus plea after she and other family members failed to contact the BSF trooper for three days. 

At that point she said that she last spoke to him on February 7, when he told her that he was being taken to an unknown location.

The BSF had told the court that Yadav was "not missing" and just transferred to another battalion and his wife's apprehension was "baseless and unfounded".

In January, Yadav posted a video clip on social media complaining about the quality of food served to BSF personnel and accused unnamed officers of illegally selling food supplies meant for troopers. 

The family earlier alleged that the trooper was being "threatened and tortured mentally". 

After Yadav's video went viral, the Prime Minister's Office and the Home Ministry sought details on the incident from the BSF.

The trooper faces an inquiry on various charges, including indiscipline. His plea for voluntary retirement was also rejected by the authorities.

The wife of BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that she had met her husband and was convinced that he was safe.

Yadav, whose social media video clip on "substandard food" triggered an uproar, got to meet his wife at the battalion Jammu and Kashmir's Samba area where he was posted, she told the court. 

A division bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Justice Vinod Goel subsequently disposed off Sharmila Devi's habeas corpus plea to find her "missing husband" as she had no information about his whereabouts.

Appearing for the Border Security Force, advocate Gaurang Kanth told the court that Yadav purchased a new mobile phone and there was "no restriction" on him from talking to his family.

The BSF had taken away Yadav's personal mobile phone that he used to upload the videos and said it was part of the investigations.

After the High Court's direction on February 10, the BSF allowed Yadav's wife to meet him and also to stay overnight for two days.

Sharmila Devi filed a habeas corpus plea after she and other family members failed to contact the BSF trooper for three days. 

At that point she said that she last spoke to him on February 7, when he told her that he was being taken to an unknown location.

The BSF had told the court that Yadav was "not missing" and just transferred to another battalion and his wife's apprehension was "baseless and unfounded".

In January, Yadav posted a video clip on social media complaining about the quality of food served to BSF personnel and accused unnamed officers of illegally selling food supplies meant for troopers. 

The family earlier alleged that the trooper was being "threatened and tortured mentally". 

After Yadav's video went viral, the Prime Minister's Office and the Home Ministry sought details on the incident from the BSF.

The trooper faces an inquiry on various charges, including indiscipline. His plea for voluntary retirement was also rejected by the authorities.

Polling began this morning in 67 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of western Uttar Pradesh figuring in the second phase of voting.

The districts where polling is on amid tight security arrangements are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun.

Official sources said here that elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling.

Of the 67 seats at stake, ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 in 2012, followed by BSP 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two.

In this phase, 720 candidates are in the fray with a maximum of 22 from Barhapur (Bijnor) and a minimum of four nominees from Dhanaura (Amroha).

Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar seats respectively, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha.

The fate of these candidates will be decided by 2.28 crore voters, including over 1.04 crore women, eligible to cast their ballots in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations.

The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers today and tomorrow without its approval. The EC has asked them to get the advertisements pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication.

The poll body said the decision has been taken in view of past instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature in print media on such occasions which vitiate the elections.

The next five phases of polling will be held on February 19, 23, 27 and on March 4 and 8. Counting of votes will be taken up on March 11.

Polling began this morning in 67 Assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts of western Uttar Pradesh figuring in the second phase of voting.

The districts where polling is on amid tight security arrangements are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun.

Official sources said here that elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling.

Of the 67 seats at stake, ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 in 2012, followed by BSP 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two.

In this phase, 720 candidates are in the fray with a maximum of 22 from Barhapur (Bijnor) and a minimum of four nominees from Dhanaura (Amroha).

Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar seats respectively, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha.

The fate of these candidates will be decided by 2.28 crore voters, including over 1.04 crore women, eligible to cast their ballots in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations.

The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers today and tomorrow without its approval. The EC has asked them to get the advertisements pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication.

The poll body said the decision has been taken in view of past instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature in print media on such occasions which vitiate the elections.

The next five phases of polling will be held on February 19, 23, 27 and on March 4 and 8. Counting of votes will be taken up on March 11.

Around 40 per cent of the electorate have exercised their franchise by 1 pm in 69 of the 70 Assembly seats of Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Haridwar at 47 per cent, Uttarkashi at 45 per cent, Udhamsingh Nagar at 43 per cent and Nainital at 42 per cent were among districts that have recorded the highest polling so far, the state election office said.

Elections for Karnaprayag seat in Chamoli district have been postponed to March 9 due to the death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi in a road accident on Sunday last.

On most of the seats the ruling Congress and the BJP are locked in straight contests but rebel candidates of both parties who have entered the fray as independents may play a crucial role in upsetting the calculations of the official nominees of their respective parties.

12 former Congress MLAs contesting as BJP candidates and two former BJP MLAs travelling in Congress boat have made these elections interesting.

Chief minister Harish Rawat, who is seeking a second stint in office is contesting from two seats, Haridwar (rural) and Kichha in Udhamsingh Nagar district.

BJP heavyweight Satpal Maharaj is contesting from Chaubatakhal whereas state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt is battling it out in Ranikhet.

Around 40 per cent of the electorate have exercised their franchise by 1 pm in 69 of the 70 Assembly seats of Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Haridwar at 47 per cent, Uttarkashi at 45 per cent, Udhamsingh Nagar at 43 per cent and Nainital at 42 per cent were among districts that have recorded the highest polling so far, the state election office said.

Elections for Karnaprayag seat in Chamoli district have been postponed to March 9 due to the death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi in a road accident on Sunday last.

On most of the seats the ruling Congress and the BJP are locked in straight contests but rebel candidates of both parties who have entered the fray as independents may play a crucial role in upsetting the calculations of the official nominees of their respective parties.

12 former Congress MLAs contesting as BJP candidates and two former BJP MLAs travelling in Congress boat have made these elections interesting.

Chief minister Harish Rawat, who is seeking a second stint in office is contesting from two seats, Haridwar (rural) and Kichha in Udhamsingh Nagar district.

BJP heavyweight Satpal Maharaj is contesting from Chaubatakhal whereas state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt is battling it out in Ranikhet.

A Brazilian court has accepted a formal charge of 184 accounts of money laundering against former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral.

Cabral has been in prison since November 2016 when he was arrested for another accusation. This is now his fourth indictment for corruption-related crimes.

In Tuesday's statement from the court, Cabral is accused of laundering 39 million reais ($12.6 million), Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten others were also denounced for participating in the governor's money laundering scheme, including Cabral's wife Adriana Ancelmo.

In 2016, a police investigation found that Ancelmo's jewelry collection alone amounted to over 6.5 million reais ($2.1 million) and that most of the pieces had not been included in the couple's financial statements.

Cabral is accused of making a fortune out of embezzlement and bribes in exchange for favouring companies in many construction projects for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games here.

As the governor suddenly grew rich, the state was drowning in debt.

Cabral's disastrous administration is widely regarded as the main reason why Rio de Janeiro had to declare a state of financial emergency in 2016.

Cabral's scheme is believed to have taken over 310 million reais ($100.4 million) from the state's coffers, according to judicial authorities.

A Brazilian court has accepted a formal charge of 184 accounts of money laundering against former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral.

Cabral has been in prison since November 2016 when he was arrested for another accusation. This is now his fourth indictment for corruption-related crimes.

In Tuesday's statement from the court, Cabral is accused of laundering 39 million reais ($12.6 million), Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten others were also denounced for participating in the governor's money laundering scheme, including Cabral's wife Adriana Ancelmo.

In 2016, a police investigation found that Ancelmo's jewelry collection alone amounted to over 6.5 million reais ($2.1 million) and that most of the pieces had not been included in the couple's financial statements.

Cabral is accused of making a fortune out of embezzlement and bribes in exchange for favouring companies in many construction projects for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games here.

As the governor suddenly grew rich, the state was drowning in debt.

Cabral's disastrous administration is widely regarded as the main reason why Rio de Janeiro had to declare a state of financial emergency in 2016.

Cabral's scheme is believed to have taken over 310 million reais ($100.4 million) from the state's coffers, according to judicial authorities.

The US for decades has fallen prey to "strategic misinformation" that China is not a "threat" which led the Communist giant to start "bullying activities", a top White House official has said.

"I think China has used strategic misinformation for a long time," said Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President at the White House, alleging that China for the past several decades has been successfully putting out "strategic disinformation campaign".

"I found this very early in my career," said Gorka, who is a national security professional specialising in irregular warfare, including counter insurgency and counterterrorism during an interaction at the Heritage Foundation, a top American think-tank.

Gorka said that this "misinformation campaign" has reached the top American leadership.

"It has reached the highest levels of US government, successive administrations have said various things, China is not a threat, and then when they became more and more of a threat, when they started bullying activities, military activities that were troubling then the narrative changed a little bit to do we want a strong China?" he told the audience.

"Trying to do everything in way to play down the fact that they pose a threat to the United States Security; and so it's one of the key things that we have to counter-act," he said, adding that for a number of years through his writing and reporting he is trying to show the threat from China.

"It is a real threat and we need to understand it but it's been counteracted by a narrative that says if we trade with China that this will lead to a reform of China and that hasn't worked," he said.

"They are exporting a version of an anti-democratic system; and so that's why I think it's really important that we focus more on understanding the nature of that threat," Gorka said.

Born in Britain, Gorka became a US citizen in 2016.

According to Politico, he reports to strategist Steve Bannon and includes the Strategic Initiatives Group, Bannon's in-house think tank, in his email signature.

His portfolio at the White House includes focusing on terrorism and national security.

Researchers have discovered a patch of land in an ancient valley near Mars' equator that appears to have been flooded by water in the not-too-distant past.

The scientists believe that the findings, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, offer a prime target to begin searching for past life forms on the Red Planet.

"On Earth, desert dunefields are periodically flooded by water in areas of fluctuating groundwater, and where lakes, rivers and coasts are found in proximity. These periodic floods leave tell-tale patterns behind them," said one of the researchers Mary Bourke from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. 

"You can imagine our excitement when we scanned satellite images of an area on Mars and saw this same patterned calling card, suggesting that water had been present in the relatively recent past," Bourke said.

In a remote sensing study of the Namib Desert in Africa, the researchers had previously noted these patterns — 'arcuate striations' — on the surface between migrating sand dunes. 

Fieldwork subsequently showed that these arcuate striations resulted from dune sediments that had been geochemically cemented by salts left behind by evaporating groundwater. 

"Following our work in Namibia, we hypothesise that on Mars, similar arcuate striations exposed on the surface between dunes are also indications of fluctuating levels of salty groundwater, during a time when dunes were actively migrating down the valley," Bourke added.

"These findings are hugely significant. Firstly, the Martian sand dunes show evidence that water may have been active near Mars' equator — potentially in the not-too-distant past. And secondly, this location is now a potential geological target for detecting past life forms on the Red Planet, which is important to those involved in selecting sites for future missions," she said.

There is a need to pay close attention to the "contentious" Indo-Pak relationship to maintain stability in South Asia, a Democratic US Congressman has said.

Congressman Tom Suozzi said this following a briefing from experts on the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan after he was recently appointed as member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee.

"We know that India and Pakistan have had a contentious relationship going back decades, so paying close attention to their interactions will be critical to keeping that part of the world stable as well," Suozzi said, after he was briefed by experts about ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

He was also briefed by experts on North Korea.

"These are dangerous times, and the US must remain vigilant against the threats faced by a nuclear North Korea.

Their most recent missile test is proof of that. I'm committed to working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to ensure our nation's safety," he said in a statement.

Suozzi is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, where he serves on the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

He is also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Suozzi was recently named Vice-Chair of the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus.

India and Croatia have signed an agreement to boost bilateral trade and enhance economic cooperation.

The agreement was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Government of the Republic of Croatia, on Tuesday in Zagreb.

"India and Croatia had earlier signed an Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation in September, 1994 with an aim to promote and develop bilateral trade and economic relations.

"The present Agreement between India and Croatia would be a step in continuity as the last one expired in November, 2009," an official statement said.

India's bilateral trade with Croatia during 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 stood at $148.86 million, $205.04 million and $148.44 million respectively.

"The bilateral trade during the last three years has remained stable despite global slowdown," the statement issued by Commerce Ministry said.