Work underway on Putin's instructions about nuclear tests, says Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
Moscow (PTI): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday said President Vladimir Putin's latest instructions about studying the feasibility of resuming nuclear tests “is being worked on.”
During his Security Council meeting on November 5, at which Lavrov was absent, Putin instructed the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Defence, the intelligence services, and civilian agencies to submit proposals on the possibility of preparing for nuclear weapons tests by Russia if the US were to walk out of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) moratorium on nuclear tests.
“The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accepted for implementation the instruction given by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Security Council meeting on November 5; it has been accepted for implementation and is being worked on,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by official news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti.
“The public will be informed of the results,” Lavrov was quoted by the Russian agencies.
According to Lavrov, Moscow has not yet received any explanation of US President Donald Trump’s comment on the resumption of nuclear tests from Washington through diplomatic channels.
“So far, we have not received any explanation of what President Donald Trump meant when he announced the resumption of nuclear tests,” Lavrov told reporters, TASS said.
During the televised meeting with his Security Council, Putin was seen asserting that Russia will restart the nuclear tests only if the US did so first.
It was in response to US President Donald Trump's announcement last week that his administration plans to resume testing of the US' own nuclear assets after a gap of over three decades.
Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30, Trump announced that the US will start testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with rival powers.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
