LIVE: India says air exercise in east not connected to China border clash

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5:17 PM

All parties barring BJP work for commission and serve their families, says Nadda

BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday claimed that all parties come to power to serve their families and earn through commission except the BJP.

"All political work for their families and earn through commission except the BJP. Right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, everyone in BJP toils day and night to serve the people and to change their image and destiny," Nadda said addressing people after inaugurating BJP offices in 10 districts of poll-bound Karnataka.

He said the Congress in Karnataka was dividing communities and knows nothing about development.

 

4:57 PM

Elections big budget affair, simultaneous polls will save money: Govt

Elections have become a "big budget affair" and holding simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies would result in huge saving to the exchequer, the government said on Thursday.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, law minister Kiren Rijiju said the law commission in its report on reforms in electoral laws had suggested simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

"Simultaneous elections would result in huge saving to the public exchequer, avoidance of replication of effort on part of administrative and law and order machinery in holding repeated elections and bring considerable savings to political parties and candidates in their election campaigns," Rijiju said.

 

4:38 PM

Issue of vacancies in higher judiciary will linger till new system put in place: Rijiju

Law minister Kiren Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the issue of vacancies and appointments in the higher judiciary would continue to linger till such time a new system is created for the same.

Replying to questions in the upper house of parliament, the law minister said the Centre has limited powers over appointments of judges.

As on December 9, 777 judges are working in the high courts against the sanctioned strength of 1,108, leaving a vacancy of 331 (30 per cent).

In the Supreme Court (as on December 5), against the sanctioned strength of 34 judges, 27 are working, leaving seven vacancies.

 

4:14 PM

Nirav Modi loses bid to appeal against extradition in UK Supreme Court

Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant wanted in India to stand trial on fraud and money laundering charges, on Thursday suffered another setback in his legal battle against his extradition as the High Court in London denied him permission to appeal against his extradition order in the UK Supreme Court.
 

In a judgment order pronounced at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay ruled that "the Appellant's (Nirav Modi) application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court is refused".

Last month, the 51-year-old diamantaire had lost an appeal on mental health grounds when the same two-judge High Court bench ruled that his risk of suicide is not such that it would be either unjust or oppressive to extradite him to India to face charges in the estimated USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam case.

 

3:50 PM

Air exercise in northeast not connected to Tawang clash with China, says IAF

India's air force will hold a training exercise on Thursday and Friday in the country's east but it is not connected to last week's border scuffles with China in the region, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
 

The IAF said its Eastern Air Command would conduct an exercise to train its crew.

 

"This exercise was planned well in advance of the recent developments in Tawang and is not associated with these events," it said.

3:37 PM

Take action against Bihar govt over hooch tragedy: BJP Lok Sabha members to Centre

BJP Lok Sabha members Thursday termed the deaths in Bihar due to the hooch tragedy as "mass murder" and urged the Centre to take immediate action against the government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, holding it responsible for the incident.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, BJP's Paschim Champaran MP Sanjay Jaiswal claimed that spurious liquor sale has been flourishing in Bihar under the protection of police officers despite a prohibition in place.

But the chief minister does not take any action against any of them, he charged.

BJP's Aurangabad MP Sushil Kumar Singh termed the hooch tragedy deaths as "mass murder" and held the Bihar government responsible for it.

"There is no hope from Bihar government," he said.

 

3:27 PM

Russian cosmonauts' spacewalk cancelled at space station due to leak

3:12 PM

Those who drink spurious alcohol will die, says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

After Bihar's hooch toll climbed to 26, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday warned that if people drink spurious liquor, they will die, as the prohibition policy of his government came under attack from left, right and centre.

Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor described the state's prohibition law as a farce and demanded scrapping of the prohibition law.

"Jo piyega woh marega" (those who drink spurious alcohol will die), thundered Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who stood his ground maintaining that prohibition was not my personal wish but a response to the cries of the women of the state.

 

3:10 PM

100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi, leaders walk on road to Cong revival

As the Bharat Jodo Yatra enters its 100th day Friday, Congress watchers feel it has found some answers the party had been looking for on the road to 2024 but questions remain whether it will yield electoral dividends going forward.

The Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir foot march has also courted many controversies in the last three months and led to several fiery exchanges between the Congress and the BJP including on Rahul Gandhi's ever-growing grey beard and his Burberry T-shirt.

With over 2,800 km under his belt, Gandhi has managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors and seen quite a few celebrities including from the tinsel town and academia walking alongside him from time to time. However, some political pundits feel the party should have had more tangible political objectives for the yatra.

 

2:47 PM

Nepal, India to hold joint military training exercise in Rupandehi from Friday

India and Nepal will hold the 16th edition of the joint military training exercise 'Surya Kiran' from Friday.

A team from the Indian Army has reached Nepal to participate in military exercises to take place at Saljhandi in Rupandehi near the Nepal-India border.

"Indian Army troops arrived today in Saljhandi, Nepal for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex #SURYAKIRAN. The exercises are a paragon for the exchange of professional experience & cementing the friendship between two armies," the Indian embassy in Kathmandu has tweeted.

The 15th edition of the joint exercise was held in Pithoragarh in which 650 soldiers from both sides participated.