Indian Sub-continent

Balasore, 2 Aug 2018; PTI:  India today successfully test fired an indigenously-developed supersonic interceptor missile from a test range off the Odisha coast to validate "some improved features", defence sources said.

The state-of-the-art missile was test fired from a canister at 11.24 am engaging a simulated target at low altitude, the sources said.

Kochi, Aug 2 (PTI) The Kerala High Court today dismissed a petition for declaring sacramental confession among Christians unconstitutional, noting whether or not to confess one's sin was an individual's right.

A division bench of the court comprising Acting Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar said nobody was compelled to follow the custom.

Aizawl, Aug 2 (PTI) Security forces seized 217 kg of gold and arrested five Myanmarese nationals from near the Mizoram-Myanmar border in Champai district, police said today.

The five Myanmarese nationals were arrested yesterday from Vaphai village in the district for allegedly smuggling gold bars worth around Rs 927 lakh, they said.

The gold and the arrested persons were handed over to the officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Champhai town, the police added.

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Congress President Rahul Gandhi today attacked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over the Doklam issue, alleging that she had "buckled and prostrated herself in front of Chinese power".

His assertion came a day after Swaraj told Parliament that the India-China face-off over Doklam was resolved through "diplomatic maturity without losing any ground" and status quo has been maintained.

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Kerala government today told the Supreme Court that the custom of barring entry of women between the age group of 10 to 50 years into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala is not permissible under the Constitution.

It said that celibate status of deity cannot be a ground for barring entry of women as it is a Hindu temple and not a temple of a particular denomination.

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) A BJP member in the Lok Sabha today demanded that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should be prepared for the whole country, triggering protests from Opposition benches.

The remarks come against the backdrop of the draft NRC in Assam, released earlier this week, triggering a major political controversy over alleged exclusion of names of lakhs of people.

During the Zero Hour, Nishikant Dubey claimed that the census exercise did not happen in many places, including the North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamabad, Jul 31 (PTI); Nawaz Sharif's medical report does not suggest any treatment abroad, Punjab province home minister Shaukat Javed said today, days after the former prime minister was shifted from jail to a premier hospital here following health complications.

Talking to reporters, Javed said Sharif is being kept in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on doctors' orders and he will be there till the doctors say otherwise, Geo TV reported.

He brushed off the rumours of sending Sharif to London for medical treatment.

Guwahati, Jul 31 (PTI); Exclusion of names of family members in the final draft of the NRC published in Assam on Monday has emerged as a major concern for many among the over 40 lakh applicants whose names do not figure in it.

Many of them whose names did not figure in the final draft of the NRC have pointed out that they had submitted the same set of documents as their family members to establish their legacy date, but were left out.

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI); MPs of opposition parties today staged a protest outside Parliament against the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Armed with placards against the NRC, leaders from the TMC, SP RJD, TDP, AAP, BSP and JD(S) demanded that the government bring in changes in the NRC.

"The NRC is forcing people to become refugees in their won country," TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee claimed.

They alleged by bringing in the NRC the ruling party was trying to divide the people

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI); West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that the National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam was done with a "political motive" to divide people and warned that it would lead to bloodbath and a civil war in the country.

Attacking the BJP, she said the saffron party is trying to divide the country and asserted this will not be tolerated.