Theresa May dismisses idea of 'hard' Brexit

London, Jan 9 (PTI) Prime Minister Theresa May today dismissed the notion of a "hard Brexit" and highlighted her plans for a "new relationship" with the European Union (EU) as Britain prepares to leave the 28-member bloc.

At the end of a major speech at the UK's Charity Commission today where she laid out her government's measures to tackle the stigma around mental health, she was asked if the stock markets were reacting to a flawed interpretation of Brexit.

The value of the pound has fallen to a two-month low against major currencies after media reports suggested May signalled the UK would pursue a "hard Brexit" from the EU.

Sterling fell about 1 per cent across the board, the BBC reported.

May said, "Well, I'm tempted to say the people who are getting it wrong are those who print things saying I'm talking about a 'hard' Brexit, 'it's absolutely inevitable it's a hard Brexit'. I don't accept the terms 'hard' or 'soft' Brexit.

"What we are doing is going to get an ambitious, good, the best possible deal for the United Kingdom in terms of trading with, and operating within, the single European market.

"But it will be a new relationship because we won't be members of the EU any longer. We will be outside the European Union, and therefore we will be negotiating a new relationship, across not just trading but other areas, with the European Union," she added.

May's speech came as she had outlined her plans to use the state to create a "shared society" yesterday.

She announced plans to speed up the provision of digital mental health services, to improve services for schools and to stop GPs charging patients up to 300 pounds for a form certifying their mental illness.

Under new measures, every secondary school in Britain will be offered mental health first aid training and employers and organisations will be given additional training in supporting staff who need to take time off.

"We have a once in a generation chance to step back and ask ourselves, what sort of country do we want to be," she said.

May said that mental health had been "dangerously disregarded" as secondary to physical health and changing that will go "right to the heart of our humanity".

She confirmed a new green paper would be published later in 2017 on children and young people's mental health to "transform services in education and within families".

The British PM also announced that mental health campaigner Dennis Stevenson will lead a review alongside Paul Farmer, the chief executive of the mental health charity Mind to look at how people with mental health problems can be better supported in the workplace.

I'm SP chief, party symbol should stay with me: Mulayam to EC

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Asserting that he remains Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh Yadav today told the Election Commission that the convention called by Akhilesh Yadav camp was "unconstitutional" and that the party's electoral symbol of 'cycle' should remain with his camp.

Accompanied by his loyalists Amar Singh and Shivpal Singh Yadav, Mulayam also contested the affidavits of party leaders submitted by the party faction owing allegiance to his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, alleging they were forged and asked the EC to get them verified.

Party sources said he also told the EC that Ram Gopal Yadav, who had called the convention in which Akhilesh was made the party president, was expelled from the outfit before that and, therefore, the meeting was unconstitutional as per SP's constitution.

He also said that while there was a resolution appointing Akhilesh as party president and another one appointing him as its mentor, there was no resolution removing him from the party chief's post.

Trump accepts U.S. intelligence on Russia hacking, top aide says

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (C) exits One World Trade Center following a meeting in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 6, 2017

WASHINGTON : President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia engaged in cyber attacks aimed at disrupting the presidential election and may take actions in response, his incoming chief of staff said on Sunday.

Reince Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, said Trump understands that Moscow was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations. "He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia so that’s not the issue," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday."

Priebus' comments marked a major shift. Trump has repeatedly dismissed claims that the Russians were trying to help him, arguing that those charges are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his victory.

It was the first acknowledgement from a senior member of the president-elect's team that Trump has accepted that Moscow was involved in the hacking and subsequent disclosure of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election.

In a statement on Friday after receiving his intelligence briefing, Trump did not refer specifically to Russia's role in the presidential campaign.

Priebus said Trump plans to order the intelligence community to make recommendations as to what should be done. Depending on those recommendations, "actions may be taken," he said.

He did not elaborate.

PM''s degree row: CIC allows inspection of DU records of 1978

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) The Central Information Commission has directed Delhi University to allow inspection of records related to all the students who had passed BA degree in 1978, the year in which, according to the University, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared the examination.

The Commission rejected the contention of the Central Public Information Officer of the University that it was a third party personal information, saying it finds "neither merit nor legality" in it.

It directed the university "to facilitate inspection of relevant register where complete information about result of all students who passed in Bachelor of Arts, in year 1978 along with roll number, names of the students, father's name and marks obtained as available with the University and provide certified copy of the extract of relevant pages from the register, free of cost...." 

RTI applicant Neeraj had sought to know from the University the total number of students who appeared in Bachelor of Arts, Year 1978, besides result of all students who appeared in the examination along with their roll number, name of the students with father's name, marks and result pass or failed.

Denying the information, the Central Public Information Officer of the University had responded that the information requested is treated as "personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest".

Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu, however, said, "With regard to question whether disclosure of such identification related information causes invasion of privacy, or is that unwarranted invasion of privacy, the PIO has not put forward any evidence or explained possibility to show that disclosure of degree related information infringes the privacy or causes unwarranted invasion of privacy".

During the hearing before the Commission, CPIO Meenakshi Sahay said there are 2,00,000 students in "this year's BA programme, and unless the subject of BA programme is specified, it will be difficult to give the information sought such as the number of students appeared, failed, passed, etc in the year 1978".

She also said 1978 results were not in digitised form.

Neeraj said it is the past practice of Delhi University to publish such results on the notice board and at times in newspapers also, which means the information sought was available with the public authority and was published or put in public domain without any limitations mentioned by the CPIO.

The issue of 1978 DU degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy.

"We have checked our records and it has been authenticated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree is authentic. He cleared the examination in 1978 and was awarded the degree in 1979," Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das had said last year after the row erupted. .

Sania wins Brisbane women's doubles title but loses No.1 rank

Brisbane, Jan 7 (PTI) Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza picked up her first title of the season, combining with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands to lift the Brisbane International women's doubles title, but ended up losing the World No.1 crown to her partner.

The top-seeded Indo-American duo triumphed 6-2 6-3 against the second-seeded Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final here.

The trophy, however, ended Sania's 91-week reign as the world No.1 doubles player in the WTA rankings. That position was taken over by Bethanie.

"I feel like I'm handing over Miss World No.1 crown," Sania said in her post-match speech.

The Indian had come into the tournament as a defending champion, having won it with Swiss ace martina Hingis last year.

"We always have good matches (against Vesnina/Makarova).

It's great to come back as defending champion. Thank you to my partner and best friend. We go a long way, we play once a year, the last time we played, we won in Sydney," Sania said.

"I think we should play a lot more. Thanks for playing with me. I was No.1 in the world but congratulations to her for becoming No.1 now. If not me, than her, she has had an amazing year," she added.

Sania will go back to pairing with Czech Republic's Barbora Strycova in Sydney next week and the Australian Open, which starts on January 16.

Budget session of Parliament to begin from Jan 31

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The Budget session of Parliament was today convened to start from January 31, a day before the Union Budget is likely to be presented.

President Pranab Mukherjee has summoned the Rajya Sabha to meet on January 31, an official notification said.

A similar notification is also expected from the Lok Sabha secretariat.

While the session will begin with the President's address to the joint sitting of the two Houses, the same day the pre- budget economic survey will be tabled.

The practice of separate railway budget presentation is being scrapped from this year. The railway estimates will be part of the Union budget.

The announcement comes even as opposition parties have raised objections to the presentation of the budget on February 1 before Assembly polls in five states on the ground that it will tilt the balance in government's favour because it can woo voters with sops.

They have petitioned the Election Commission, which has asked the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to give the government's response.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had recently recommended that the Budget session will commence on January 31 and the Union Budget will be presented the next day so that the new financial provisions come into force from April 1, the beginning of the new fiscal.

Ex-Chinese diplomat asks China to 'adjust' stand on Azhar

Beijing, Jan 6 (PTI) In a rare dissent against official policy, a former Chinese diplomat who served in India has sought change in China's repeated efforts to block India's bid to slap a UN ban on JeM leader Masood Azhar arguing that he is a terrorist and Beijing should "adjust" its stand accordingly.

In his lengthy blog on social media WeChat public account about the India-China stalemate over Azhar, Mao Siwei - who previously served as China's Consul General in Kolkata - said China should take advantage of India's complaint against Azhar and "get rid of the passive diplomatic situation" between the two countries.

The blog published on December 28, two days before China refused to lift its technical hold on India's application, allowing it to lapse, Mao highlighted the history of Pakistan- based terror organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Muhammad and how they carried out violent attacks whenever India and Pakistan made efforts to normalise their relations.

Referring to the Indian evidence furnished against Azhar in Pathankot terror attack, he cited the charge sheet that the evidence included Facebook and telephone records as well as DNA samples through food wrapping paper and walkie-talkie.

"In the light of the above, I deeply feel that now is the time China should take India's complaint as an opportunity to seriously study and adjust the position, get rid of the passive diplomatic situation, on the listing of JeM chief in the (UN) 1267 list," he wrote.

"First, is Azhar a terrorist? Second, was the Pathankot attack perpetrated by the Jaish-e-Mohammed group? To the first question, the answer should be yes," he said.

Though his appeal went unheeded, it reflected a different opinion among sections of China's diplomatic community which is concerned over the negative fallout of the issue on India- China ties and Beijing's claims that it followed a "very objective, just and professional attitude" in blocking India's application at the UN.

Responding to remarks made by External Affairs Minister of State M J Akbar on the Azhar issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters here yesterday that "we have taken a responsible and constructive part in relevant discussion in a professional and objective way".

His comments are a rare instance of public expression of differing opinions in China.

Efforts by PTI to reach Mao, a prolific commentator on India-China ties in the Chinese social media, were not immediately acknowledged.

"As a result of (China's technical hold), the issue of sanctions against Azhar became a major issue affecting Sino- Indian relations and constitutes an important factor for the decline of Sino-Indian relations in 2016," Mao wrote.

He served as Consulate General of China's Consulate in Kolkata between 2007 to 2010. Before that, Mao also worked as a diplomat in Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and served as a visiting scholar at JNU, Delhi. .

GDP to grow slower at 7.1% in FY17; note ban not factored in

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) Economy will grow at a slower pace of 7.1 per cent this fiscal, as against 7.6 per cent last year, mainly due poor showing by manufacturing, mining and construction, government data showed today without factoring in the demonetisation impact.

Releasing the data compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Chief Statistician T C A Anant said, "It is difficult to talk about the impact of demonetisation at this point of time ... at this point the drop (in GDP estimates) is not attributable to any policy change (demonetisation)."

Economists and experts have been repeatedly talking about the adverse impact of note ban, effected on November 9, on GDP in near term including in the current fiscal.

About factoring in the impact of demonetisation, Anant said, "We don't need to speculate. It (the estimates) is on actual outcome based data. We have not taken bank deposits and credit data for the month of November due to volatility because of major policy change."

He explained that the CSO has factored in all latest data available so far while arriving at a conclusion the economic growth will be 7.1 per cent this fiscal.

He also said that CSO does not make adhoc estimates and current figures are based on indicators available as of now.

Elaborating the reasons for slowdown, he also said that slowdown in economy is by and large on account of (bad performance of) index of industrial production.

Commenting on the data, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said, "Being a statistical organisation, CSO has to go on real statistics and we cannot expect them to go on the basis of impressions and anecdotal evidence."

Several economists have predicted that growth will slow down in the near term as economic activity has taken a hit on account of note ban. Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has projected economic growth to plunge by 2 percentage points.

Das said: "Today whatever figures, whatever statistics are coming about the impact of demonetisation are broadly, mostly anecdotal and mostly based on anecdotal evidence".

Outlining gross fixed capital formation as an area of concern, Das said the government will take necessary measures in that direction. Gross fixed capital formation is a barometer of investment.

"The economic survey and the budget will spell our what approach the government will take, so I would not like to pre-judge and I cannot comment on that, but as I mentioned earlier," he said, adding tax revenues will exceed budget estimates this fiscal.

Accordingly, the 'First Advance Estimates of National Income, 2016-17' did not reflect the impact of demonetisation, effected on November 9 for ban of old Rs 500/1,000 notes, and are based on sectoral data for only seven months or till October. .

Take extra care to lessen suffering of poor post note ban: Prez

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Extra care must be taken to alleviate sufferings of the poor triggered by economic slow down which has become unavoidable post demonetisation, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.

Demonetisation, while immobilising black money and fighting corruption, may lead to "temporary slowdown" of the economy, the President said addressing the Governors and Lt Governors through video-conferencing from Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"We all will have to be extra careful to alleviate the suffering of the poor which might become unavoidable for the expected progress in the long term," Mukherjee said.

He said that while he appreciates the thrust on transition from entitlement approach to an entrepreneurial one for poverty alleviation, he is not too sure that the "poor can wait that long".

"They need to get succour here and now so that they can also participate actively in the national march toward a future devoid of hunger, unemployment and exploitation," the President said. .

Schedule for the General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh

Elections announced to the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, 

Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi - 4 Jan 2017 : The terms of the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are normally due to expire as follows:

Goa 18.03.2017
Manipur 18.03.2017
Punjab 18.03.2017
Uttarakhand 26.03.2017
Uttar Pradesh 27.05.2017

By virtue of its powers, duties and functions under Article 324 read with Article 172(1) of
the Constitution of India and Section 15 of Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Commission
is required to hold general elections to constitute the new Legislative Assemblies in the States of
Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh before expiry of their present terms.

As per the established practice, the Election Commission holds the General Elections to the
Legislative Assemblies of the States whose terms expire around the same time, together.

Full details can be seen as follows

Please Click Here to See Part I the Schedule for the General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh 

Please Click Here to See  Part II the Schedule for the General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh