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Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of Shiv Sena has taken a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Mumbai saying that his arrival in the city is just another "campaign for his party,’ not for any welfare of the state. "Modi is visiting Mumbai for a few hours and it is being said that in these few hours, he will lay the foundation for the bright future of Mumbai. But the question is since when did the BJP start worrying about Mumbai`s future and fortune? This propaganda that the Prime Minister is incarnating for the bright future of Mumbai is false. He is campaigning for his party, but can the saffron of the Shiv Sena be removed from Mumbai?" Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said in a strongly-worded editorial.\

The Sena editorial further said that Mumbai would be blessed only if no attempt is made to "loot" the labour of Marathis."The fate of Mumbai was built by the Marathi people with their own labour and the buildings of `Delhiswars` were raised on the loot of the same Mumbai. 105 martyrs built Mumbai`s future and fortune, if no attempt is made to loot it, then Mumbai will be blessed," the party wrote in `Saamana.`

Taking cognizance of the protest staged by wrestlers, including Olympic and Commonwealth Games (CWG) medalists, in Delhi in which women wrestlers have levelled serious charges of sexual harassment by the President and coaches of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and of mismanagement in the functioning of the federation, the Sports Ministry has sought an explanation from WFI and directed it to furnish a reply within the next 72 hours on the allegations made.

In its communication to WFI, the Ministry has stated that ‘since the matter pertains to the well-being of athletes, the Ministry has taken a very serious view of the matter’. The Ministry has further stated that if WFI fails to furnish the reply within the next 72 hours, the Ministry will proceed to initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011.

About 150 terrorist entities, individuals based or linked with Pakistan blacklisted by UN

The UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL (Da'esh) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added 68-year-old Makki to its list of designated terrorists on Monday, subjecting him to assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

As per the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee list, nearly 150 terror entities and individuals blacklisted by the UN are either based in Pakistan, have links in the country or operate from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the RSS and the BJP of spreading hatred, triggering violence and attacking constitutional institutions as his Bharat Jodo Yatra crossed through Himachal Pradesh, which was not a part of his original yatra route.

Addressing a gathering at Manser village in Kangra, where the yatra entered the state on wednesday morning, Gandhi said he was “not allowed” to raise issues of public interest such as demonetisation, “faulty implementation” of the GST, “anti-farm laws” and the Agniveer military recruitment scheme in Parliament. So he took the road to draw attention to them.

In a conciliatory outreach, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for “serious and sincere talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning issues like Kashmir”. He also said his country has learnt its lesson after three wars with India that “only brought more misery, poverty, and unemployment”, and wants peace with its neighbour.

Speaking in an interview to Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV, Sharif sought the intervention of UAE ruler Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to bring India and Pakistan together for talks. He said that he has given his “word of honour” that he will talk to the Indian side with “sincerity of purpose”.

Pointing out that India and Pakistan were nuclear powers, the Pakistan Prime Minister asked if “a war breaks out, who will live to tell what happened?”