Battling with one branch of government and opening a new confrontation with another, President Donald Trump announced on Friday he was declaring a national emergency to fulfill his pledge to construct a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Bypassing Congress, which approved far less money for his proposed wall than he had sought, Trump said he would use executive action to siphon billions of dollars from federal military construction and counterdrug efforts for the wall, aides said. 

The move is already drawing bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill and expected to face rounds of legal challenges.

Trump made the announcement from the Rose Garden, as he claimed illegal immigration was "an invasion of our country." 

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday released the book containing selected speeches of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at a function in New Delhi. 

The book is a compilation of 92 speeches of Mr Naidu. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mukherjee said the speeches reflect the wide experience of Mr Naidu in public affairs. 

 Mr. Mukherjee paid homage to the martyrs of Pulwama terror attack. He said, in the hour of grief, the country must stand together to fight against terrorism. 

Mr Mukherjee said, the response of the international community in condemning the terror attack in one voice will strengthen India's resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism. 

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said, the country must be united in its resolve to make every inch of the country safer but the neighbouring country is aiding and abetting terrorism. 

Sushil Chandra has assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi on Friday. He is an Indian Revenue Service officer of 1980 batch. 

The poll body now has Sunil Arora as Chief Election Commissioner and Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra as Election commissioners. 
 

Union Minister Arun Jaitley has assumed charge as Finance Minister on February 15.

Jaitley attended a Cabinet Committee meeting on Security at 9.15 am. The Cabinet discussed the terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Pulwama that left nearly 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) dead and over 18 critically injured.

"Attack on CRPF in Pulwama, J&K is cowardice & a condemnable act of terrorists. Nation salutes martyred soldiers and we all stand united with families of martyrs. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Terrorists will be given unforgettable lesson for their heinous act," Jaitley said in a tweet.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday said it has attached assets worth Rs 4.62 crore of a firm linked to Robert Vadra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, in connection with the Bikaner land scam case.

"The attached assets include movable assets amounting to Rs 18,59,500 pertaining to four individuals and one immovable property situated at 268, Sukhdev Vihar in New Delhi to the extent of Rs 4,43,36,550 owned by Robert Vadra's company Ms Sky Light Hospitality (P) Ltd (now LLP)," the agency said.

The ED had registered a criminal case in connection with the deal in 2015, taking cognisance of a clutch of FIRs and charge sheets filed by Rajasthan Police after the tehsildar of Bikaner complained about alleged forgery in the allotment of land in the area, considered sensitive due to its proximity to the Indo-Pak border.

The United States has told India that it supports New Delhi's right to self-defense, and offered full co-operation in confronting terrorism. US National Security Adviser John Bolton telephoned his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and said US has been very clear to Pakistan on ending support to terror safe havens on their soil. 

Talking to news agency PTI in Washington, Mr Bolton said, he expressed his condolences for the Pulwama terror attack.

Earlier, the White House and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a stern message to Pakistan asked Islamabad to immediately end 
its support to all terror groups and not to provide safe haven to them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tributes to the martyrs of Pulwama attack at the Palam Airport in New Delhi last evening when their mortal remains were brought to the national capital from Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Modi laid a wreath on the mortal remains of the jawans. 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh received the mortal remains of 40 CRPF jawans at the airport when they were brought from J&K in a special plane.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba were among those who paid homage to the martyrs.
The government has convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi today in view of the Pulwama attack. The parties will be briefed about the attack and the steps being taken by the government in this regard.

The decision to convene the meeting was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.

Later speaking at a function in the national capital, the Prime Minister warned Pakistan that terrorist attacks like the one in Pulwama will not weaken India and those responsible will have to pay a heavy price.

The government has convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi today in view of the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting has been convened by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and invitations have been extended to all major political parties.

The parties will be briefed about the attack and the steps being taken by the government in this regard.

The decision to convene the meeting was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.

Earlier, Union Minister Arun Jaitley had said, an all-party meeting would be convened to brief parties on the incident so that the nation speaks in one voice on the issue.

NASA on February 13 announced that its Opportunity Rover mission is complete after the rover failed to respond despite repeated trials since August 2018.

During a press conference, the space agency inferred that a planet-encircling dust storm cut off communications with Opportunity on June 10, last year, disabling its solar panels from storing power. Since then NASA has beamed over 830 unanswered rescue commands.

In a last-ditch attempt the Rover team, on February 12 sent a transmission of commands and Billie Holiday's I'll Be Seeing You to Mars via the Deep Space Network, however, Opportunity could not be roused.

The robotic rover, which wandered the surface of the red planet for over 15 years (5,515 Earth days), was launched by NASA in July 2003 as a part of its Mars Exploration Rover program.

Responsible for much of our understanding of the Martian landscape, geology, atmosphere and history, the Opportunity was originally intended to last just over three months. However, the gritty robot continued its mission travelling nearly 45 km on the red plains-- the farthest distance accomplished by any extra-planetary robot.

Senior bureaucrat Pramod Chandra Mody was on Thursday appointed as chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a top policy making body for income tax department, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

Mody, a 1982 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre), has been appointed in place of Sushil Chandra, who earlier Thursday appointed as an Election Commissioner ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due this summer.

Mody is at present member of CBDT.