Chandigarh, Aug 21 (PTI) Under flak for hugging Pakistan's army chief during his Islamabad visit, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today hit back at the BJP, reminding it of trips to that country by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi as prime ministers.

He defended hugging Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as an emotional response on learning that Sikh pilgrims may now be allowed to visit the Kartarpur shrine across the border.

"Why are there double standards? he said at a press conference here.

Bhopal, Aug 21 (PTI) Opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh alleged here today that over 17 lakh fake voters were found during a scrutiny of electoral rolls across 53 assembly constituencies in the state.

The state Congress also submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission today, urging it to remove the names of these voters from the electoral rolls.

JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is "a top priority for the United States."

Speaking at the start of their meeting in Jerusalem, Bolton said that Iran's military capabilities are "a question of the highest importance for the United States."

"It's why we've worked with our friends in Europe to convince them of the need to take stronger steps against the Iranian nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs," he said.

New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called upon the people to reflect on how to work together and contribute in arresting "disturbing trends" of intolerance, communal polarisation and incidents of violent crimes propelled by hate groups and mobs being witnessed in the country.

Addressing the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award function, he said such "unsavoury" trends can only harm national interests and are an anathema to the promotion of peace and communal harmony.

TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's missile program is a non-negotiable issue and it is not linked with the country's nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said here on Monday.

The Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal and the country's missile program are two separate issues, Bahram Qasemi said with a reference to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent remarks.

Merkel earlier said that Berlin was willing to preserve the deal in the wake of U.S. withdrawal, while expressing concern over Tehran's missile program.

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 20 (PTI) Pakistan's new Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi today extended the hand of friendship to India soon after taking oath by offering "uninterrupted" dialogue to resolve all the outstanding issues, saying it is the "only wise course" as the two countries cannot afford any "adventurism".

After the swearing-in ceremony at the President House, Qureshi went to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and addressed media.

TASS, August 19. The US dreams of once again overthrowing the Iranian government but it will not succeed, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.

His tweet says that "65 years ago today, the US overthrew the popularly elected democratic government of Dr. Mossadegh, restoring the dictatorship and subjugating Iranians for the next 25 years. Now an "Action Group" dreams of doing the same through pressure, misinformation and demagoguery. Never again."

Melbourne, Aug 20 (PTI) Mehreen Faruqi, a Pakistani-origin woman today became the first Muslim female Senator to be sworn-in to Australia's Parliament.

Greens senator Faruqi was sworn-in less than a week after crossbench senator Fraser Anning called for curbs to Muslim migration and a "final solution" on immigration policy, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"I'm here to shake up the status quo," the 55-year-old Faruqi told reporters in Canberra.

MAGADAN, August 19. /TASS/. Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Russian defense ministry plan to sign a contract for the firth batch of Su-57 fighter jets by the end of this summer, probably at the 2018 Army forum, UAC President Yuri Slyusar said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia, Turkey, France and Germany regularly hold consultations on convening a summit on Syria, Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on Monday.

20 Aug 2018; DW: Ahead of Turkish President Erdogan's trip to Germany in September, the SPD's Andrea Nahles has said German aid is a possibility. It comes as tensions between the US and Turkey rise over the house arrest of a US pastor.

The head of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), Andrea Nahles, has said there could be circumstances in which Germany would provide financial assistance to Turkey during its economic crisis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is set to roll back the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to slow global warming, the Clean Power Plan that restricts greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.