Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, August 29; GANASHAKTI: The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), with a membership 1.12 crore women in 23 states, expresses its serious concern about the spate of rising hate crimes and violence, fear, unemployment, and hunger. It pledges that the women are not going to stay quiet anymore and in order to express their anger, it is holding a National Women’s Protest Rally in Delhi on 4 September 2018.  The Rally will begin at Mandi House at 11 am and culminate in a public meeting at Parliament Street.

Srinagar, Aug 30; PTI: Two militants were today killed in an encounter with security forces in Hajin area of Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Hajin area following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire towards security force positions.

Two militants have been killed in the operation, the official said adding the searches were still going on.

Bareilly (UP), Aug 30; PTI: A youth who was home from Dubai where he worked as a tailor was lynched in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district on suspicion that he had stolen a buffalo, police said today.

Shahrukh, 20, was beaten to death last night in Bholapur Hadoliya village under the Cantt police station area here.

Four people have been arrested, said Superintendent of Police (City) Abhinandan Singh.

Kolkata, Aug 29 (PTI) Trinamool Youth Congress chief Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, filed a defamation suit against Amit Shah today, alleging that the BJP president has made slanderous statements against him at a public rally on August 11 in Kolkata.

Abhishek Banerjee, also a Trinamool Congress MP, appeared before the eighth bench of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Kolkata and filed written submission, claiming Shah has made defamatory statements against him.

Hyderabad, Aug 30 (PTI) Dubbing the case against him and other activists over Maharashtra's Koregaon-Bhima violence as false, Leftist poet and writer Varavara Rao insisted today their fight against "fascist policies" cannot be called a conspiracy.

He said the case for Koregaon-Bhima clashes between Dalits and upper caste Marathas should have been filed against the Maharashtra government and the Centre and not activists.

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 30 (PTI) As Kerala picks up the pieces, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said the government would explore the possibility of legal options to avail the funds offered to the state, including that from abroad.

His statement assumes significance in the wake of a row over the Centre's refusal to accept the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) reported offer of Rs 700 crore to the flood-hit state.

Chennai 28 Aug 2018; GANASHAKTI: Soon after his elevation as DMK chief, MK Stalin expressed concern over the present political situation and said that the secular fabric of the country is under attack by authoritative and communal forces.

New Delhi, Aug 28; PTI: The CPI(M) today lodged its strong protest against the police raids on several civil and human rights activists and left intellectuals, and said it constituted a brazen attack on democratic rights and civil liberties.

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau demanded withdrawal of the cases against these activists and their immediate release, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation said the move was "reminiscent of the infamous Emergency" of the 1975.

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) As many as 99.3 per cent of the old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, that were banned overnight in November 2016, have been returned, the Reserve Bank of India said in its annual report.

Of the Rs 15.41 lakh crore worth 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in circulation before November 8, 2016, notes worth Rs 15.31 lakh crore have been returned.

The "humungous task of processing and verification of specified bank notes (SBNs) was successfully achieved," it said.

Islamabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Pakistan's imprisoned former prime minister Nawaz Sharif today again appeared before an anti-corruption court in the remaining two graft cases against him and his family, a media report said.

The 68-year-old PML-N leader appeared before the court as accountability court II Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik resumed hearing of Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment cases, Geo news reported.

Sharif's counsel Khawaja Harris cross-questioned Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head and prosecution's witness Wajid Zia, the report said.