HIGHLIGHTS

India lodged strong protest with Pak over harassment of guests at Iftar: Govt

New Delhi: Pakistanis invited to an Iftar hosted by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were actively dissuaded and physically stopped from attending the event by Pakistani agencies, prompting India to lodge a strong protest with that country, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

PNB fraud: Swiss authorities freeze 4 bank accounts of Nirav Modi, sister

New Delhi: Four Swiss bank accounts of beleaguered diamantaire Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2-billion PNB fraud case, and his sister have been "frozen" by authorities in Switzerland as part of the criminal money laundering probe being conducted against them in India, official sources said.

Nation is proud of your son, HM Amit Shah tells family of slain J-K police officer

Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday visited the residence of Jammu and Kashmir Police officer Arshad Ahmed Khan, who succumbed to injuries during a terror attack on June 12 in Anantnag district, and assured his family that the government will look after them.

Take strict action against terror funding in J-K: Shah to security forces Srinagar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday impressed upon security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to show zero-tolerance towards terrorism and take strict action against terror funding in the state.

Rename West Bengal to Bangla: TMC MP demands in RS

New Delhi: The TMC Thursday demanded in the Rajya Sabha that West Bengal be renamed as Bangla in three languages-- Bengali, English and Hindi to restore the actual identity of the Bengali people.

Haryana Congress leader shot dead outside gym in Faridabad

Faridabad/New Delhi: Haryana Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary was shot dead in broad daylight by unknown assailants here on Thursday, police said.

MP govt proposes up to 5-yr jail term for violence by cow vigilantes

Bhopal: The Congress-led Madhya Pradesh government has approved a proposal to amend the cow protection law and award jail terms ranging from six months to five years to those who indulge in violence in the name of cow vigilantism.

Incidents of crime on communal, caste lines in BJP-ruled states defaming country: Mayawati

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati Thursday said the incidents of crime on communal and caste lines in the BJP-ruled states are "defaming" the entire country and even embarrasses the prime minister.

Eleven students dead after minibus falls into gorge in J-K's Shopian

Srinagar: Eleven students, including nine girls, of a computer coaching institute, died and seven others were injured Thursday when the minibus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, police said.

Maratha quota valid but should be cut from 16 to 12-13 pc: HC

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education but said the quota should be reduced from the present 16 per cent to 12 to 13 per cent.

India's very high tariffs "unacceptable", says Trump ahead of meeting with Modi

Washington/Osaka: India's "very high" tariffs on US goods are "unacceptable" and must be withdrawn, President Donald Trump demanded Thursday ahead of his crucial meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Japan which is likely to be dominated by growing global trade frictions.

Modi, Abe discuss global economy, fugitive economic offenders, disaster management

Osaka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday held wide-ranging talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on the global economy, issues of fugitive economic offenders and disaster management and announced that the Indian President will participate in the coronation ceremony of Emperor Naruhito in October.

From cars to bullet trains, India-Japan ties have come a long way: PM Modi

Kobe: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday the ties between India and Japan have become stronger from the time the two countries cooperated to make a car to coming together to manufacture the bullet trains.

UK court extends Nirav Modi's remand till July 25

London: A UK court on Thursday extended till July 25 the remand of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who is wanted in India in connection with the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case. By Aditi Khanna

Air India's Mumbai-Newark flight lands in UK after bomb scare

London/Mumbai: A US-bound flight of Air India from Mumbai made a precautionary landing at London's Stansted Airport Thursday following a bomb threat, forcing Britain to scramble its fighter jets to escort the flight. By Aditi Khanna.