In a move aimed at changing the system of appointments to the higher judiciary in the country, the Union council of ministers on Thursday gave its approval to a much-delayed bill which seeks to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges.

After criticising SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav for meeting VHP leaders, UP minister Azam Khan did just that himself. The minister on Thursday met Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Brahamchari, the seer of Dakshin Kali Temple in Hardwar for undisclosed reasons.

BJP president Rajnath Singh has asked the Akhilesh government to lift the ban on the VHP’s 84 Kosi yatra and respect Hindu sentiments.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung on Thursday threatened to further intensify the Gorkhaland agitation to protest the police crackdown in the Hills. The renewed agitation includes total shutdown on Saturday and Sunday, sustained street protests and hunger strike by the arrested GJM leaders and workers in jails.

The RJD, feeling marginalised after the ruling JD(U) seemingly improved its pro-Muslim image and the BJP emerged as Bihar’s main Opposition party, on Thursday deliberated on strategies to increase its Muslim votebank and taunted chief minister Nitish Kumar as a “new Muslim” bent on deceiving the minorities.

What is intriguing many is the nomination of former Union law minister Ashwani Kumar “to visit for up to seven days as PM’s special envoy for that period (in the rank and the privileges of a Cabinet minister) to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges with Japan....”

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday told civil and military leadership that his government wants to resolve all the issued with India through talks, adding that Pakistan will abide by the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire.

Two suspects were questioned in connection with the gunning down of rationalist thinker Dr Narendra Dabholkar. However, they were subsequently released as the police ruled out their involvement. The two had been brought from Ahmednagar district, Pune police sources confirmed.

The Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a flareup as in renewed cross-border skirmishes the facing armies intensely pounded each others’ positions with automatic weapons and mortars again, a day after a Pakistani Army official was killed and another wounded in Skurdu area.

The most-sensitive Indo-China border is the only international border with India where not a single bullet has been fired in the past 51 years even after dozens of instances of face-offs between the long range patrols (LRPs) of India and China.