NEW DELHI:  Homosexuality is not a crime in India anymore and it is not a mental disorder, five Supreme Court judges declared today in a spectacular leap for gay rights in the country and a rainbow moment in its history. The Supreme Court overruled its own 2013 decision and partially struck down Section 377, a controversial British-era law that banned consensual gay sex. The ban is irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary, the judges said. "Take me as I am," said Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, toasting gay pride.

Washington: Pakistan currently has 140 to 150 nuclear warheads and the stockpile is expected to increase to 220 to 250 by 2025 if the current trend continues, according to a latest report by authors keeping a track of the country's nukes.

The current estimate of 140 to 150 nuclear weapons exceeds the projection made by the US Defense Intelligence Agency in 1999 that Pakistan would have 60 to 80 warheads by 2020.

"We estimate that the country's stockpile could more realistically grow to 220 to 250 warheads by 2025, if the current trend continues. If that happens, it would make Pakistan the world's fifth-largest nuclear weapon state," Hans M Kristensen, Robert S Norris and Julia Diamond said in the report 'Pakistani nuclear forces 2018'.

Bharat Bandh Today in Madhya Pradesh Live Updates | Several minority rights organisations in Madhya Pradesh have called for a Bharat bandh on September 6 in protest against the amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that was passed in the Parliament in August. The amendments introduced overrode the Supreme Court’s order on the Act.

In view of a possible agitation, the Madhya Pradesh government have tightened the security across the state. The administration has also imposed Section 144 under CrPC in four districts — Morena, Shivpuri and Bhind, all three in Gwalior-Chambal region, as well as in Ashok Nagar district. The Gwalior-Chambal region, one of the sensitive areas, had witnessed a large-scale violence on April 2 this year during the 'bharat bandh' called by Dalit groups.

Section 377 Supreme Court Verdict Live Updates: After hearing a clutch of petitions challenging Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality, the Supreme Court Thursday will deliver a verdict in the case. A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and comprising Justices Fali Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, will deliver the judgment at 10.30 am. There are four separate judgements — Justice Khanwilkar has not written a separate one. The bench had reserved its verdict in the case on July 17.

The verdict today comes on five petitions moved by dancer Navtej Jauhar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hoteliers Aman Nath and Keshav Suri and business executive Ayesha Kapur.

During the four-day hearing earlier this year, the Centre had said it would not contest the petitions, and left the decision to the “wisdom of the court”. In its affidavit, the Ministry of Home Affairs said: “I state and submit that so far as the constitutional validity (of) Section 377 to the extent it applies to ‘consensual acts of adults in private’ is concerned, the Union of India would leave the said question to the wisdom of this Hon’ble Court.”

New Delhi: India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri and Asian Games gold-medallist Divij Sharan have pulled out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Serbia due to injuries while Sumit Nagal has refused to join the team as a stand-by.

Sharan, who won the men's doubles gold with Rohan Bopanna in Palembang, has suffered a tear in his shoulder and Bhambri's knee injury flared up at the US Open, where he lost in the first round to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

NEW DELHI: 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking to ban a book for allegedly depicting Hindu women visiting temples in a derogatory manner, saying "craftsmanship of a writer deserves to be respected".

A bench headed by Chief Justice Of India Dipak Misra said a book must not be read in a "fragmented manner", but as a whole.

"Subjective perception about a book should not be allowed to enter the legal arena with regard to censorship," the bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said, adding that the author should be allowed to play with words like a painter who plays with colour.

The Supreme Court's order came on a plea by Delhi resident N Radhakrishnan, who had sought omission of portions from the Malayalam novel 'Meesha' (moustache) written by S Hareesh.

On August 2, the Supreme Court while decrying the practice of banning books had said that it restricted free flow of ideas. It had also said literary works can be banned only when they violated the law.

"The culture of banning books restrict free flow of ideas," the bench had said, adding that prohibition can be imposed under certain circumstances like if they violated provisions like section 292 of the IPC.

Section 292 of the IPC deals with banning sale of "obscene books, pamphlet, paper, writing, drawing, painting, representation, figure or any other object" as they "tend to deprave and corrupt person, who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it".

Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday became the second US company to reach $1 trillion in stock market value, just weeks after Apple Inc hit the same milestone on Aug 2.

Shares in the world's largest online retailer last traded up 1.4 per cent at $2,041.68. Its shares hit the $2050.2677 level to give its stock a value of $1 trillion.

Amazon crossed the $2,000 threshold for the first time on August 30 after doubling its price in just 10 months. Amazon shares first hit $1,000 on October 27, 2017. It first reached $100 on October 23, 2009.

Oil marketing companies (OMCs) kept the petrol, diesel prices unchanged on Wednesday after increasing the rates consecutively for the last 10 days. However, the fuel prices still remain at an all-time high. Petrol is selling at a price of Rs. 79.31 per litre in Delhi, according to price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. A litre of petrol is retailing at Rs. 86.72 in Mumbai, Rs. 82.41 in Chennai and Rs. 82.22 in Kolkata. Diesel is vending today at a price of Rs. 71.34 in Delhi, Rs. 75.74 per litre in Mumbai, Rs. 75.39 per litre in Chennai and Rs. 74.19 per litre in Kolkata.
Fuel prices were the same in four metros on Tuesday also. Petrol and diesel prices vary from state to state due to local levies. Prices in Delhi are the cheapest in all metros and most state capitals due to lower sales tax or VAT (Value Added Tax). The Centre currently levies a total of Rs.19.48 per litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs. 15.33 per litre on diesel.

Delhi charges a VAT (Value Added Tax) of 27 per cent on petrol and 17.24 per cent on diesel. Mumbai has the highest VAT of 39.12 per cent on petrol, while Telangana levies the highest VAT of 26 per cent on diesel.

The recent surge in fuel prices is largely attributed to the rising global crude oil prices, falling exchange rate of rupee and the high excise duty levied on transportation fuel in the country. However, the Indian rupee recovered from its all-time low of 71.58 and edged higher by 20 paise to 71.38 against the US dollar in opening trade today.

According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, the government will not cut excise duty on petrol and diesel to cushion spiralling prices, which touched fresh highs on Tuesday, as it has limited fiscal space available to take any dent in revenue collections.

COMMENT
Globally, oil prices fell on Wednesday, partly reversing a strong jump from the previous day, as the impact of a tropical storm on US Gulf coast production was not as strong as initially expected. (With agencies inputs)

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh police have stepped up security across the state in view of the ongoing protests against the amendments in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Some organisations have also given a call for 'Bharat bandh' against the SC/ST Amendment Bill passed in the Parliament last month. The administration has imposed prohibitive orders under CrPC in four districts- Morena, Shivpuri and Bhind, all three in Gwalior-Chambal region, as well as in Ashok Nagar
district in view of the proposed bandh.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called a new book on his White House by famed investigative journalist Bob Woodward "just another bad book" and "nasty stuff."

"He's had a lot of of credibility problems," Trump told The Daily Caller in an an interview about Woodward's book, "Fear: Trump in the White House."

"I probably would have preferred to speak with him, but maybe not. I think it probably wouldn't have made a difference in the book. He wanted to write the book a certain way," the president said.

"It's just nasty stuff," Trump said of the scathing details in Woodward's tome, which the president suggested might be from "disgruntled employees or just made up" by the reporter.