News Digest: A smart, speedy recap of the day\'s headlines

Mumbai: Have you missed any news today? Here are the top national, international headlines of the day.

 

Rahul willing to visit J&K: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, repeated his demand to visit Jammu and Kashmir and asked Governor Satya Pal Malik when he could come. He said he had accepted Malik's invitation to visit Jammu and Kashmir and meet people without any conditions and termed the governor's reply "feeble".

Read: No conditions for my J&K visit, please; when can I come? Rahul to state Guv

Gallantry awards: The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots who had stuck Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on the morning of 26 February have been decorated with Vayu Sena medals.

Read: 120 defence personnel including Abhinandan Varthaman decorated with gallantry awards

Rajeev Gandi's birthday: The Congress party is set to celebrate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's 75th birth anniversary on a grand scale with programmes being held across the country on August 20, sources said on Tuesday.

Read:  Grand celebrations planned by Congress for Rajiv Gandhi's birth annniversary

MEA redefines Indo-China relations: India and China should find stronger convergences, respect each other's core concerns and manage differences, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said as he underlined that the relationship between the two Asian giants has become "so big" that it has acquired a "global dimension".

Read:  India, China must respect each other's core concerns: Jaishankar

Trump reacts on trade war: US President Donald Trump has said that India and China are no longer “developing nations” and were “taking advantage” of the tag from the WTO and asserted that he will not let it happen anymore.

Read:  India, China are developed but take benefit of 'developing nations' tag at WTO: Trump

Address to the nation on the eve of the 73rd I- Day: Speaking on the abrogation of Article 370 President Ram Nath Kovind said the move will be immensely beneficial for people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Read: Immensely beneficial for people of J&K: President on abrogation of Art 370

Faridabad IPS officer suicide case: A senior IPS officer and Faridabad deputy commissioner of police committed suicide at his residence by shooting himself with his service revolver on Wednesday morning. A suicide note naming cops was also recovered from the residence of DCP  Vikram Kapoor, a spokesperson for Faridabad Police said.

Read: Faridabad IPS officer shoots himself, suicide note blames colleagues of blackmail

PM on Article 370: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said people opposing the abrogation of Article 370 are “usual vested interest groups, political dynasties and those who sympathise with terror”.

Read: Don’t oppose for sake of it, scrapping Art 370 will bring transparency: PM

School forces girls to cut hair: In a bizarre incident, 180 girls of the Tribal Welfare Residential School in Medak town here were given a haircut on the orders of the administration in a bid to save water.

Read: Telangana school forces 180 girl students to get hair cut to save water

Caste discrimination in Tamil Nadu school: A major caste based discrimination system is unfolding in Tamil Nadu, with the Directorate of School Education busy cracking down on schools where children were made to wear wrist bands of various colours to segregate them on the basis of their caste

Read: Caste based wrist bands spark uproar in TN schools, govt gives strict warning

Pakistan foreign minister relentlessly pursuing Article 370: After the revoking of Article 370, Pakistan has requested the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting over India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state, with foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi saying his country would not provoke a conflict but “India should not mistake our restraint for weakness”.

Read: India shouldn't mistake restraint for weakness: Pak writes to UNSC for meet over J&K