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Shubhodeep Datta

29 Dec 2016,Thursday

ATC mixed an aircraft's location with another: AAI

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/mixing-locations-led-to-planes-near-collision-at-delhi-airport-aai/story-8FuQTvxLsD4nsX73FZkIWI.html

The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) mixed the location of one plane with that of another that had nearly led to a collision between an IndiGo and a SpiceJet aircraft at Delhi Airport on Tuesday, according to the Airports Authority of India. The two aircraft had reportedly come face-to-face with barely 40 metres between them on the same taxiway.

The Air Traffic Controller inadvertently gave instructions to one aircraft to continue taxiing through a particular taxiway mixing its location with that of another plane that led to a near collision at Delhi airport on Tuesday, according to AAI.In a major safety lapse, two aircraft of IndiGo and SpiceJet came face-to-face barely 40 metres away on the same taxiway on Tuesday but providentially a disaster was averted after commanders of both the planes alerted the air traffic control and switched off their engines.Following the incident, the air traffic controller has been derostered pending investigation.While acknowledging that an air traffic controller mixed the locations of the two flights, AAI (Airports Authority of India) on Wednesday also said SpiceJet flight did not question the incomplete ATC instruction for taxiing, adding that these human errors resulted in ?traffic conflict situation?.In a detailed statement, AAI said IndiGo flight (6E-769) from Lucknow to Delhi after landing on runway-28 was taxiing via taxiway ?E2? for parking stand 12 as advised by ATC.Read: Air traffic controller ?forgot? it had sent aircraft for refuellingThe departing flight of SpiceJet (SG123) was not able to take off from runway 28 due to poor visibility and waiting to return to apron for parking, it said.Accordingly, the controller instructed SG123 to taxi via taxiway C and hold short of the taxiway ?E2? so that the two flights were not in conflict with each other.?The traffic density being high and complex, the controller inadvertently gave instructions to SG123 to continue taxi via E to stand 130, mixing its location with the location of SG263 which was holding on another taxiway ?E? for departure.?However, SG123 also did not question the incomplete ATC instruction for taxiing. These human errors resulted into traffic conflict situation. However, both aircraft stopped at safe distance and there was no risk to aircraft or passengers,? AAI said.Noting that the statement is being issued to avoid any fear among air passengers after yesterday?s incident, AAI said at times it may not be possible to eliminate human error.?At times it may not be possible to eliminate human error whether it is aviation or other industries but continuous efforts are being made by AAI to offset such human errors through Standard Operating Procedures, recurrent training to the controllers and introducing technology,? it said.Further, AAI said various reports appearing in the media are giving exaggerated version stating that the passengers had close shave, indicating a distorted interpretation that may create fear in the minds of air passengers.Safety record of ATC provided by AAI at Indian airports has been very good and comparable to best in the world, it added.

Saloni Tandon

24 Jun 2017,Saturday

US Press Secy wishes India '70th independence anniversary'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sean-spicer-wishes-india-on-its-independence/1/986304.html

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer wished the people of India "a happy 70th anniversary on their independence" in his daily press briefing on Friday. In response to a query on PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump's upcoming meeting, Spicer began his answer with the independence wish. He went on to discuss the agenda of the meeting.

India celebrates 70 years of freedom this August 15, but White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has wasted no time to wish our country and its citizens. Addressing his daily press briefing, Spicer was asked about the upcoming Donald Trump-Narendra Modi meeting at the White House. In response, Spicer said that he'd first like to "wish the people of India a happy 70th anniversary on their independence."The question, asked by a reporter identified only as 'Goyal', was about the expectations from Trump and Modi's June 26 meeting in Washington, DC. The two leaders are meeting for the first time; notably, Modi will become the first world leader with whom Donald Trump sits down for a working dinner. Answering the question, Spicer said President Trump and Prime Minister Modi will "discuss ongoing cooperation, including counter-terrorism, defense partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy.  I think it's going to be a very robust discussion." PM Modi has already left for his US visit, which includes a stopover in Portugal today. Modi will arrive in the United States on Sunday and will meet Trump on Monday. Spicer's comment on wishing India on its independence was not followed up by a reporter's comment, so it remains unclear whether the press secretary was merely wishing India in its 70th independent year.Here is the full exchange (courtesy the White House) where Spicer speaks about the Trump-Modi meet and wishes India (the full transcript of Spicer's briefing can be found here): "Q    Take one question, Sean?MR. SPICER:  I know because Goyal has got a visit coming on Monday, so he gets a question on Friday.Q    Thank you, sir.  Two questions.  MR. SPICER:  Are you excited?Q    This will be the first face-to-face meeting --MR. SPICER:  It will.Q    Yes, sir.  This will be the first --MR. SPICER:  Better get ready.Q    -- face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.  So is President Trump ready to accept him and welcome him, because both have the same dream?  Prime Minister Modi is saying "Make in India," and President Trump is saying "Buy American," and make in America -- or "Hire American."  So my question is, so much is there on the plate when Prime Minister Modi arrives here.  He's saying that he will have a great meeting with the President because we have many things in common, as far as US-India relations are concerned. So what can we expect between the two leaders?MR. SPICER:  Well, first, I want to wish the people of India a happy 70th anniversary on their independence.  But during the meeting, the President and the Prime Minister will discuss ongoing cooperation, including counter-terrorism, defense partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy.  I think it's going to be a very robust discussion.Q    And a separate question, please --MR. SPICER:  Yeah.Q    Thank you.  On Wednesday, June 21st was the International Day of Yoga, which was declared by the United Nations three years ago under the leadership -- initiative by Prime Minister Modi.  Any citation you think President Trump will issue?  Or what he has -- any message as far as yoga is concerned?  Because yoga means less trips to the doctors and hospitals.  MR. SPICER:  I don't have -- (laughter) -- anything on yoga at this point.  But I appreciate the --Q    Show us a stance.  (Laughter.)"

Sanira Mediratta

30 Apr 2017,Sunday

Delhi cops donate blood to alleged burglar who fired at them

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/despite-blood-donation-by-policemen-burglar-shot-in-delhi-encounter-dies/story-SEp8V2EOt38fyVmEZFLDbP.html

Two policemen from Delhi, constable Ashok Kumar and assistant sub-inspector Ramashray Singh, recently donated blood to an alleged burglar who fired at them. When the police shot back, one of the two burglars was injured and was taken to the hospital. The 24-year-old accused however later died in the hospital.

A suspected burglar who was shot in an encounter by two policemen succumbed to his injuries at the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini, North Delhi, early on Thursday.The policemen ? constable Ashok Kumar and assistant sub-inspector Ramashray Singh ? had earlier admitted the accused to the hospital and donated blood in an attempt to save his life.Joint commissioner of police (northern range) Rajesh Khurana confirmed to HT that the accused, 24-year-old Nitin, died around 1.30 am.Nitin suffered five bullet injuries after an alleged burglary attempt at a Rohini apartment went horribly wrong on Wednesday morning. Police said they were forced to retaliate after the accused and an accomplice, Salman, allegedly opened fire at them.Though Supreme Court guidelines stipulate that an FIR must be registered in an encounter death, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rishi Pal said no fresh case would be filed in this connection.?The accused fired first. The policemen retaliated in self-defence. We registered a case against the accused, but none will be registered against the policemen,? he added.The police officer said the National Human Rights Commission would be informed about the death, and all guidelines adhered to. Though police informed Nitin?s father about the encounter on Wednesday, nobody from his family has come forward to take his body until now.According to Pal, Nitin and Salman were allegedly trying to scale the walls of the Ahinsa Vihar apartment in Rohini Sector 9 around 4 am when some residents spotted them. They alerted the police, after which a team of three policemen was rushed to the spot.When the two suspects landed on the road outside, they found themselves face-to-face with the policemen. ?That was when they began firing at us. As both assistant sub-inspector Ramashray Singh and I were armed with pistols, we fired in retaliation,? said constable Kumar.While Nitin was hit in his arms, leg and lower back, Salman managed to escape in the dark.The injured burglar underwent a surgery at the hospital, but needed three-four units of blood. Two of the three policemen involved in the encounter stepped forward to help.?Shooting at the criminal was my professional duty. Now I am performing my humanitarian duty,? Kumar had told HT while donating blood.

Chhavi Tyagi

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

IAS officer's son found dead under mysterious circumstances

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/ias-officer-s-son-found-dead-in-mumbai-in-mysterious-circumstances/story-Sw7MBcaM02XrNi1uKOtHVJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An 18-year-old son of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's Vice President Milind Mhaiskar and Urban Development Department's Principal Secretary Manisha Mhaiskar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Mumbai. The police are trying to find out whether it was a case of suicide or if he was pushed from the 20th storey of the building.

?An 18-year-old son of MHADA vice-president Milind Mhaiskar and principal secretary of Urban development department Manisha Mhaiskar was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The police are yet to ascertain whether this is a case of suicide or he was pushed from the 20th storey of the building.According to police, around 7.30am on Tuesday, they got a call from a local alleging a youth had fallen off posh Dariya Mahal apartment in Napean Sea Road.The deceased was identified as Manmat and his family members were informed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.Manmat left the house at 7am to meet his friend, said police.The Malabar Hill police have registered a case of accidental death.The body has been sent to JJ hospital for post-mortem.

Mansha Mahajan

01 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Need regulatory body for medical devices, says Mazumdar-Shaw

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-needs-regulatory-body-for-medical-devices-mazumdar-shaw/1/893265.html

Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has called for establishing a standard setting regulatory body for medical devices, as non-certified devices put patients at serious risk. "I certainly think we need to have a standard setting regulatory body," she stated. "Precision of any medical intervention is critical as we cannot afford to have non-certified medical devices in the market," she added.

Parichit Mainra

10 Dec 2016,Saturday

Pak channel sent warning over fake plane crash audio

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pak-tv-channel-aired-fake-audio-clip-of-crashed-pia-flight/1/830086.html

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued a notice to a TV channel for airing an unauthenticated audio clip in which people on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane that crashed recently could be heard crying for help. The management of 'Channel 24' will need to respond to the notice by December 15 or they will face ?6.4 lakh fine.

Islamabad, Dec 8 (PTI) Pakistans electronic media watchdog today issued a notice to a TV channel for airing an unauthentic audio clip of crashed PIA PK-661 flight and asked it to explain by December 15 why action should not be taken against it. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight crashed into a hillside after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from the city of Chitral to the capital, and burst into flames killing all 47 on board. Soon after the crash, an audio clip went viral on social media claiming to be the last audio before the plane crashed and was broadcast by Channel 24. In the audio, people could be heard crying for help, however, it surfaced it was an audio from another crash, The Express Tribune reported. The audio was released by Channel 24 during its 9:47pm transmission last night, following which, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) sent a notice to Channel 24 for broadcasting the audio clip and the channel management is required to respond by December 15. According to the notice, Channel 24s coverage is against the PEMRA electronic code of conduct. The channel has been asked to prove that the recording was from the passenger cabin of the ill fated aircraft and provide evidence of how the audio was recorded and sent to the channel from the plane. Upon receiving multiple reports against Channel 24, PEMRA lodged an inquiry. If it fails to answer relevant questions, the channel will be fined Rs 10 million, the report said.

Saloni Tandon

29 Dec 2016,Thursday

Smith 1st to score 1,000+ Test runs in each of last 3 years

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/steve-smith-australia-vs-pakistan-melbourne-test/1/845089.html

Australian captain Steve Smith has become the only player to score 1,000-plus Test runs in the last three calendar years, achieving the feat while bringing up his hundred against Pakistan on Thursday. Smith is now the fourth player in Test cricket to cross the 1,000-run mark for three consecutive years, joining Brian Lara, Marcus Trescothick and Kevin Pietersen.

Steve Smith today slammed his 17th hundred in only his 90th Test innings as Australia maintained their dominance over Pakistan in the rain-marred Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He became the fourth quickest in terms of innings to score his 17th hundred behind Sir Don Bradman (50), Sunil Gavaskar (81) and Matthew Hayden (82). (Scorecard)Skipper Smith cut Sohail for three runs past point to bring up his century from 168 balls in the 49th Test of his career. Interestingly, this was Smith's third consecutive Boxing Day Test hundred.

Abhishek Bansal

18 Jun 2017,Sunday

No card, only hard cash for presidential poll nomination

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/no-card-only-hard-cash-for-prez-nomination-in-digital-india/1/981624.html

The candidates seeking election in the Indian presidential elections will have to deposit a sum of ?15,000 while filing their nomination papers. The candidates will not be allowed to make payments digitally or by cheque, according to reports. The presidential elections are scheduled to be held on July 17, while the counting of votes is on July 20.

New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) Despite the Centres push for digital payments post demonetisation, candidates who wish to be president have to pay Rs 15,000 in cash. Under the rules, candidate have to deposit the amount with the returning officer while filing their nomination papers for the post. A bank official sitting there would count and check the notes, sources said. The candidate can also deposit the cash at the Reserve Bank of India, enclosing the receipt with the nomination papers. The sources said candidates were not allowed to make payments digitally or by cheque. So far, 15 people had filed their papers for the top constitutional post. Seven of them were disqualified because of lack of proper documents.

Chhavi Tyagi

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Suspected LeT operative arrested from Mumbai Airport

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/suspected-let-operative-resident-of-up-arrested-from-mumbai-airport/story-G8mMR3V2od436PNYlPXIUN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative named Salim Mukim Khan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and was absconding from the past nine years, was arrested from Mumbai Airport. The operation to arrest Khan, who is wanted since 2008, was carried out jointly by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Maharashtra ATS. Khan is currently being interrogated in Mumbai.

A suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, allegedly involved in the ?fidayeen? attack on a CRPF camp in Uttar Pradesh in 2008, was today arrested at the city airport shortly after he flew in there from UAE, a police official said.Salim Mukim Khan alias Abu Amaar alias Arif, a native of Hathgaon in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh, was nabbed in a joint operation by anti-terrorism squads of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh police when he arrived at the international airport from the UAE, he said.Salim, facing lookout notice, was stopped at an immigration counter on the intervening night of July 16 and 17 and taken into custody, the official said.His interrogation and records available with security agencies showed his alleged role in the suicide attack on a CRPF camp in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, on January 1, 2008, he said.Eight persons, including some CRPF jawans, were killed in the terror strike.Salim was also a financier of suspected ISI agent Aftab Ali, who was arrested in May in Faizabad by Uttar Pradesh ATS, he added.While being abroad, he had been in contact with Aftab and gave instructions to him about terror activities and funding, the official said.Aftab had been in constant touch with the Pakistan High Commission and had gathered information about several defence establishments in UP, he said.Salim?s name had first cropped up as terror module in 2008 during interrogation of suspected terrorists, Kausar and Sharif, who were arrested in 2008 for the attack at the CRPF camp, he said.The duo had claimed that Salim, along with them, had received terrorist training at a camp in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in 2007, the official said.After the Rampur attack, a case was registered under relevant sections of the IPC, the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Explosives Act and the Foreigner Registration Act, he said.Initial inquiry by the Maharashtra ATS indicated that Salim was suspected to be associated with Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT, the official said.The UP ATS will seek his custody for questioning in the Rampur attack and alleged involvement in severeal other anti-national activities under their jurisdiction, he said.The Maharashtra ATS is extending all cooperation to its UP counterpart for Salim?s interrogation, the official added.

Daisy Mowke

18 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Promotional pic depicting kidnapped actress slammed online

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/varalaxmi-got-kidnapped-trolled-actor-for-film-promotion/1/931896.html

A promotional picture for an upcoming film showing South Indian actress Varalaxmi tied to a bed with the caption #VaralaxmiGotKidnapped has been slammed on Twitter. "So now they have used actress kidnapped as a promotion, will they scream rape next?" tweeted a user. "So much for all the female empowerment talks. Tacky promotions," read another tweet.

As a part of the film promotion, a picture of Varalaxmi Sarathkumar tied on a bed went viral on the internet with the hashtag Varalaxmi Got Kidnapped. However, the actor was quick enough to clarify that it was for her upcoming film.I'm absolutely fine.. thank u for ur concern..it's a part of our movie promotion.. announcement at 6pm..!!PRO Nikkil Murugan took to Twitter to share the controversial picture.#VaralaxmiGotKidnappedpic.twitter.com/5TgSFlhLjmThough the picture was used as a gimmick to attract audience, Twitterati have slammed the actor for her 'promotional' strategy.#VaralaxmiGotKidnapped - This shows how NOBODY cares if someone got kidnapped. They will make memes and abuse the victim for itApril 18, 2017How is #VaralaxmiGotKidnapped 'sweet'? It's atrocious. You can't take followers' concerns 4 granted. I'm sorry, I'm boycotting this movie. https://t.co/9fi73sJsVPApril 18, 2017Thu ð??¦ #VaralaxmiGotKidnappedpic.twitter.com/6HjwuREtFRApril 18, 2017Varu Sarathkumar getting kidnapped - this will go down as one of the worst promotional tactics ever for a film. Dismal.April 18, 2017 So much for all the female empowerment talks. Tacky promotions... unless it actually happened April 18, 2017So now they have used actress kidnapped as a promotion, will they scream rape next? #thoo#kollywoodApril 18, 2017 Nikkil later clarified that Varalaxmi was not aware of this.Sweet surprise to @varusarath for her movie promotions...she wasn't aware of this..All is well and always well for @varusarathVaralaxmi is in New Delhi to represent her Save Shakti campaign to the Law minister. I wasn't aware of this promotion as I'm in delhi representing my Save shakti petition to the Law ministry..Sorry for the trouble..!!Earlier to this, Varalaxmi made headlines when she exposed the ugly reality of casting couch in February. In fact, her Save Shakti campaign aims to protect female artists in the entertainment industry.Varalaxmi is the daughter of noted Tamil actor Sarathkumar. She made her acting debut in Poda Podi (2012) and shot to fame after her stellar performance in Bala's Tharai Thappattai (2016). Last seen in megastar Mammootty's Kasaba, Varalaxmi is playing a pivotal role in the Tamil film Vikram Vedha, which also stars Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead.ALSO READ: Baahubali 2 | An emotional SS Rajamouli bids farewell to team on Twitter

Aarushi Maheshwari

07 Jan 2017,Saturday

Tourists stranded in Manali after snowfall

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shimla-manali-snowfall-people-stranded-in-snow-traffic-stopped-kothi-snow/1/851613.html

Nearly 50 tourists are stranded in Kothi due to road blockade after heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, officials have said. While electricity supply was snapped in Shimla and Manali due to damaged power lines, traffic to tourist destinations Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie has been cut off. Meanwhile, efforts to rescue the tourists are underway.

Traffic to tourist destinations Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie were cut off from the rest of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday following heavy snowfall overnight, officials said.Electricity supply was snapped in Shimla and Manali as power lines were damaged due to falling trees.Nearly 50 tourists are stranded in Kothi, Manali due to road blockade. Efforts are being made to rescue them.Traffic bound for Shimla was disrupted at Shogi, about 15 km from Shimla, due to snowfall, an official said.Likewise, traffic on the National Highway-21 was also blocked near Patlikuhl, 20 km before Manali. SEASON'S FIRST SNOWFALL This is the season's first significant snowfall that froze Shimla.The cold weather resulted in the freezing of taps. According to the MeT reports, certain areas in Shimla like the Mall Road, the Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills got more than a foot of snow.Also read: Kashmir: Incessant snowfall cripples normal life, impacts traffic, flights Also read: Stuck for more than 8 hours: Hundreds stranded near Manali after heavy snowfall in Solangnala Rain lashed lower areas of Himachal Pradesh such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, bringing down the temperatures.A government spokesperson said most of the internal roads in Shimla and Kinnaur districts were cut off due to snow.Even traffic bound for towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kharapathar and Chopal have been disrupted.

Gaurav Shroff

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

UK doctors find 27 contact lenses stuck in woman's eye

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uk-doctors-find-27-contact-lenses-stuck-in-womans-eye/1/1003317.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

UK doctors have found 27 contact lenses stuck together in a 67-year-old woman's eye while they were preparing her for a cataract surgery. The "blueish mass" was causing her discomfort that she attributed to dry eye and old age, doctors said. The patient said she had been wearing disposable contact lenses for 35 years but did not attend regular appointments.

Doctors in the UK have found 27 contact lenses stuck in a 67-year-old woman's eye while they were preparing her for a cataract surgery.The lenses, which resembled a "blueish mass" in the patient's eye, were causing her discomfort that she simply attributed to dry eye and old age.The case happened in November last year but has just been reported in the British Medical Journal, according to metro.co.uk."None of us have ever seen this before. It was such a large mass. All the 17 contact lenses were stuck together. We were really surprised that the patient did not notice it because it would cause quite a lot of irritation while it was sitting there," Rupal Morjaria, a specialist trainee ophthalmologist who dealt with the case at Solihull Hospital near Birmingham, said.Initially, eye specialists discovered 17 lenses, before a further examination disclosed that another 10 lenses were stuck in the eye.The patient said she had been wearing monthly disposable contact lenses for 35 years but did not attend regular appointments.As a result of the findings, the woman, who said she was unaware that the lenses were missing, had her operation postponed as the risk of developing endophthalmitis, inflammation of the interior of the eye, was increased."She was quite shocked. When she was seen two weeks after I removed the lenses she said her eyes felt a lot more comfortable," Morjaria said.

Tarun Khanna

22 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Why no action against BJP, Congress over foreign funding: HC

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/why-did-you-fail-to-act-on-political-parties-accepting-foreign-funds-delhi-hc-to-centre/story-S3r0YxC2DoFQquM5Aqb7iJ.html

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Central government, "Why no action was taken against BJP and Congress over alleged foreign funding". In 2014, the court had ordered the Election Commission and the Home Ministry to look into the accounts of the Congress and BJP for traces of foreign funds and take action within six months.

The Delhi high court on Tuesday sought the Centre?s reply on a contempt plea alleging the government failed to act against political parties, including the Congress and BJP, for allegedly accepting donations from foreign companies despite a 2014 court direction.On March 28, 2014, the high court had ordered the Election Commission (EC) and the home ministry to look into the accounts of the Congress and BJP for traces of foreign funds and take action within six months.The court had found both parties flouting the norms of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCR) by accepting donations from Indian subsidiaries of UK-based Vedanta Resources. Section four of the FCR Act prohibits a political party or legislator from accepting foreign contributions.Read | Foreign funding: Congress to clarify on FCRA amendment in Supreme CourtJustice Manmohan issued show cause notice to home secretary of government of India on the contempt moved filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The court posted the matter for hearing on July 20.Advocate Pranav Sachdeva, appearing for the NGO, argued that even after the lapse of three years of the high court?s verdict, the government had not taken any action.?Alleged Contemnor/ Respondent herein is the Government of India has failed to take action against the offenders even after three years of passing of the said judgment of this Court,? the contempt petition reads.Sachdeva said that both Congress and BJP had challenged the high court verdict before the Supreme Court but later chose to withdraw their petitions.?Despite the fact that there was no interim relief granted by the apex court...the government has remained in non-compliance with the judgment of the Delhi high court,? the plea said seeking to initiate contempt proceedings in the case.

Anmol Sharma

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

Want to bowl carrom-ball with Ashwin-like accuracy: Deepti

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/women-s-world-cup-star-deepti-sharma-wants-to-master-carrom-ball-like-r-ashwin/story-vTqr30C8Cu1lDhZK7tyaGP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Indian women's cricket team all-rounder Deepti Sharma has said that Ravichandran Ashwin is her role-model and she wants to bowl the "carrom-ball with Ashwin-like accuracy". "I keep watching Ashwin's videos and try to learn from his variations," she added. Deepti Sharma picked up 12 wickets and scored 216 runs in the recently concluded Women's World Cup.

Deepti Sharma, who has gained a huge following with her all-round exploits in ICC Women?s Cricket World Cup, said she has modelled her bowling on Ravichandran Ashwin and wants to master the carrom ball like her male counterpart.?I follow Ashwin a lot. He is my role model. I do have my own style of bowling the carrom ball but I want to bowl that with Ashwin-like accuracy,? the Agra-cricketer said.Deepti never dreamt of playing the game. It all just fell into place for her after she started as a nine-year-old.As fate would have it 10 years later, she played a vital role, both in the middler-order and with her off-spinners, in helping India reach their second ever World Cup final.She made 216 runs at 30.85 and ended up as the third highest leading wicket taker with 12 scalps.READ |?Sachin Tendulkar fans Poonam Raut, Deepti Sharma learnt of record from WhatsAppDeepti, the youngest of the seven siblings, says she focuses equally on bat and ball and wants to become a world- class all-rounder.?I want to focus on all-round skills. I batted in the middle-order during the tournament but I am comfortable batting at any number.?As far as my bowling is concerned, I decide whether to flight the ball or bowl flatter after anticipating the mindset of the batter,? she said.Deepti was gutted at not taking her team past the finishing line in the World Cup final, where India lost their last seven wickets for 28 runs.We thank @Vijaygoel Sir for the gracious gesture & kind words of encouragement! pic.twitter.com/n249APSwwg? Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) July 27, 2017READ | Post Women?s Cricket World?Cup success, Mithali Raj says India must play more Tests?When I was batting, I thought only about finishing the game. Required run rate was not much and we should have easily chased it down.?As it turned out, it was not our day. How to handle pressure in crunch situations has been the most important lesson from this tournament.?Like her teammates, Deepti feels good to be recognised in the post World Cup euphoria.However, she has not yet thought about what she will do with Rs 50 lakh cash prize awarded to her by the BCCI.?As of now, I just want to go back to Agra and spend time with my family. I have been away from home for months now,? said the daughter of a retired Railways employee.READ?|?Harmanpreet Kaur developed ?6-hitting? skills while playing with menAfter their stellar showing, the calls for a Women?s IPL has also gained momentum. Deepti says the league will be great for the game.?I feel it should have started with the men?s IPL back in 2008. However, it is never too late. It will be really beneficial for Indian women?s cricket,? she added.

Dishant Sharma

14 Jun 2017,Wednesday

Boxer Amir Khan attacked and chased by gang in Manchester

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amir-khan-boxer-road-rage-manchester/1/978269.html

British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan was attacked by a gang and was reportedly chased by them after getting involved in a road-rage incident in Manchester. The boxer had taken a wrong turn which caused the car behind him to crash into his Range Rover. In 2012 Amir was targeted by a gang who tried stealing his ?81-lakh Range Rover.

Former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan was involved in a road rage incident on Tuesday night in Manchester and was attacked by a group of men after their car collided with the boxer's Range Rover.Amir was driving a white SUV, worth over 100,000 pounds, in his hometown of Bolton in Greater Manchester when he took a wrong turn and collided with another car. The two parties then got involved in a heated argument and it is believed several men set on Khan with one man throwing a punch in his direction.No arrests have been made in relation to the incident, which took place at around 9.15pm on Friday, reports the Sun.

Sumedha Sehra

29 Jun 2017,Thursday

Vice-Presidential elections to take place on August 5

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/v-p-elections-on-august-5-eci/1/989905.html

The Election Commission announced on Thursday that elections for the post of Vice-President will be held on August 5, and the counting will also take place on the same day. It added that the last date for submitting nominations is July 18 and the last date of withdrawing nomination is July 21, while scrutiny will take place on July 19.

New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The election for the post of vice-president will be held on August 5, the Election Commission of India said today. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said notification for the election will be issued on July 4 and nominations can be submitted by July 18. The scrutiny will take place on July 19 and the last date for withdrawing nomination is July 21, he said. He said if polling is required, it will take place on August 5 and the counting will also take place on the same day. Members of Parliament will use special pens for marking their choice, Zaidi said today while announcing the schedule. He said no whip can be issued by political parties. Secretary General of Rajya Sabha Shumsher K Sheriff will be the returning officer for the election, Zaidi said. The term of the present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, is coming to an end on August 10.

Saloni Tandon

18 Feb 2017,Saturday

CWG youth medalist arrested for peddling drugs worth ?50 cr

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-medal-winner-for-india-among-three-held-for-peddling-party-drugs-meow-meow/story-C0sWIdwKLJOBKjey4P7rcI.html

Discus thrower Harpreet Singh, a silver medalist at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, was arrested with two other people in Delhi on Friday for peddling a party drug 'meow meow'. As per the police, 25 kilos of the drug worth ?50 crore were seized from the trio. Harpreet had reportedly once faced a six-month drug ban in his athletics career.

An International-level discus thrower, who had bagged two medals for the country, was among three persons arrested from New Delhi railway station with more than 25 kilos of Mephedrone drug (popularly known as meow-meow in party circles), police said on Friday. The estimated worth of the drugs seized from the accused is around Rs 50 crore.The discus thrower, identified as Harpreet Singh, won a silver medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia and a bronze at the 2006 South Asian Games, before a foot injury cut his career short. ?Harpreet?s career was marred with doping charges that had once also fetched him a six-month long ban,? Sanjeev Yadav, DCP (special cell) said.The other two arrested men were identified as athlete Amandeep Singh, who was pursuing a diploma in hospitality and tourism in London, and Hanish Sarpal who had enrolled in a management course at a university in London, but later dropped out.Harpreet and Amandeep were nabbed by a special cell team from New Delhi station on Wednesday evening, after the police were informed that the duo would be smuggling meow-meow drugs from Mumbai to the capital.Police said 25 kilos of Mephedrone was seized from the possession of the accused. Mephedrone is popular in parties and is used as a substitute for cocaine. Wednesday?s recovery was possibly the biggest seizure of the drugs from the national capital, police said.An officer said the interrogation of the duo led the police to Hanish, who was nabbed from west Delhi?s Janakpuri with another 650 grams of the same drug. Police claimed that their probe has revealed the drugs as smuggled from the African subcontinent to Mumbai and from there pushed into various Indian cities and even exported to other countries. The arrested trio was allegedly working as the Delhi-based agents of an international drug syndicate.Police said the men had been lured into joining the racket with promises of large sums of money after their careers failed.Harpreet had allegedly entered the drug trade after trying his hand in the real estate business which crashed because of a slump in the market.Harpreet was the All India Inter University Champion for three years from 2006 to 2008, but failed to make it to the Indian squad for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A foot injury that he picked up before the Commonwealth squad selection ensured that he didn?t make the cut, said the officer. The other two suspects had allegedly met in the United Kingdom while studying. The duo tried to find work there, but had failed and returned to India and got sucked in the drug trade.

Chhavi Tyagi

27 Dec 2016,Tuesday

IndiGo, SpiceJet aircraft come face-to-face at Delhi Airport

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-airport-indigo-spicejet-collision-averted/1/843571.html

A collision was averted on Tuesday as an IndiGo and a SpiceJet aircraft came face-to-face on the runway of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The incident took place when the Indigo flight was headed towards taxiway after landing and the SpiceJet aircraft was about to take-off. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a probe into the incident.

A major disaster was averted at the Delhi airport today when two aircraft came face-to-face moments before one was to takeoff. According to reports, an Indigo flight was headed towards taxiway after landing just when a SpiceJet aircraft was preparing for takeoff. Both the passenger jets came face-to-face. Operations at the airport were not affected due the incident.   HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR: "SpiceJet flight SG 123 operating Delhi-Hyderabad was following ATC instructions at all times at the Delhi airport. While taxiing, the SpiceJet crew observed another aircraft on the same taxiway in the opposite direction. Acting promptly, the SpiceJet crew immediately stopped the aircraft and intimated the ATC," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.JET AIRWAYS FLIGHT SKIDS OFF RUNWAY AT GOA AIRPORT The near miss at the Delhi airport comes just hours after a Jet Airways flight with 161 people on board veered off the runway and skidded into the field at Goa airport. Some passengers were hurt in the incident.  Jet flight 9W 2374 was scheduled to fly from Goa to Mumbai at 4.40 am but aborted the takeoff at the last moment as pilots detected a technical snag. The flight spun 360 degree before coming to a halt in the field inside the Dabolim airport premises.  Passengers were made to de-board the jet through emergency chutes and brought back to the airport safely."Few guests have sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process and medical assistance is being coordinated by the Jet Airways team and the airport authorities," the airlines said in an official statement.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

2 new subjects added to competency tests in Maha schools

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-adds-two-more-subjects-to-school-competency-test/story-miZ0F1j2Fsl0kIDvU3T3rK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Science and English were added to the competency tests for classes 6 to 8 in schools across Maharashtra. The subjects were added after a report revealed that only 62.5% class 5 students could read English and 20.3% knew division. The tests, which were launched in 2015, are aimed at assessing basic skills of students from classes 1 to 8.

From this academic year, two more subjects ? science and English (third language), for non-English speakers ? will be added to the competency tests introduced two years ago to assess pupils from classes 1 to 8 in basic skills. Teachers will need to use a mobile application developed by the state to get instant results of the tests.In an attempt to iron out the flaws in the implementation of the tests, the state?s school education department passed a government resolution issued on Friday, making several changes to the structure of the exams and increasing supervision.Although the tests started in 2015 by Vinod Tawde, education minister, educators have repeatedly criticised the government for holding them in a haphazard manner. Schools were found to be sharing the papers with students before the exams and in some areas they were being openly sold in the market.The government has decided to test students in science and English (third language) as surveys show that students are weak in these subjects. An Annual Status of Education Report (2016) showed that only 62.5% students in class 5 can read. This is much lower than the national average of 47.8%. Similarly, the number of students who can divide was 20.3%, while it was 25. 9% nationally.?It is necessary to develop students competencies in science and English along with math and other languages,? said said Nand Kumar, principal secretary of the department. ?English proficiency is needed in today?s world. Science skills are equally essential,? he added.Results of the state achievement surveys and competency tests revealed slight improvement in first language and math competencies, language skills improved by 6.08% and numerical skills by 4.02% in the past two years in the tests held in 2016-17 and 2015-2016.To ensure that schools conduct the tests in a fair manner, the GR has asked that centre heads should be appointed in schools to supervise the exams. A month after the exams, they will randomly test students in the same subjects to see if the scores are accurate. If a difference of more than 20% is recorded, then the teachers will be trained in evaluating students.Schools, however, are worried this will increase the number of exams in an academic year. ?Students will be burdened by the additional exams, it will increase their stress,? said Uday Nare, senior teacher, Hansraj Morarji Public School, Andheri. The department needs to find ways of assessment without adding exams to the calendar, he said. New subjects from this yearClass 1 and 2---First language and mathClasses 3 to 5?First language, math, and, English (third language)Classes 6 to 8---First language, math, English (third language), and, science How schools will be judgedStudents scoring above 75% in all the skills will be considered as progressive studentsSchools in which all students score above 75% in all skills and bag more than 60% in the tests will be considered as progressive schools.If all students in a school score:Above 80% then teachers will receive appreciation lettersAbove 60%, they will get motivational lettersBelow 40%, cognizance will be taken

Aarushi Maheshwari

13 Feb 2017,Monday

Flyer who opened flight's emergency exit released on surety

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/passenger-who-opened-emergency-chute-released-on-surety/1/880555.html

The passenger who allegedly opened the emergency exit of a Chandigarh-bound IndiGo flight before takeoff was released on a surety of ?15,000 on Saturday. Airport Police said 31-year-old Akshay Rameshkumar Mohan was released as this was a bailable offence. IndiGo had earlier claimed that a passenger suddenly opened the emergency exit and inflated the slide, causing injury to a co-passenger.

Mumbai, Feb 11 (PTI) A passenger onboard an IndiGo flight who was taken into custody for opening the emergency chute of the Chandigarh-bound aircraft resulting in an injury to a co-passenger, was today released on surety, police said. Akshay Rameshkumar Mohan (31) was released on surety of Rs 15,000 by Airport Police as it was a bailable offence, Alka Mandave, Senior Police Inspector of Airport Police Station said.

Chhavi Tyagi

24 Mar 2017,Friday

12-year-old Kerala boy said to be India's youngest father

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/12-year-old-becomes-father-kerala-posco-act-youngest-dad-india/1/911265.html

A 12-year-old boy from Kerala is being called as India's youngest father, after a DNA test confirmed that he fathered a child born to a 17-year-old girl. The girl, who is the boy's first cousin and neighbour, has however alleged that she was raped by him. A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences case has been filed over the matter.

Being dubbed as the youngest father in India is a 12-year-old boy has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for impregnating 17-year-old girl in Kerala.A report on The Hindu says that DNA tests have confirmed that the boy is indeed the biological father. Doctors believe that the boy could have a medical condition called "precocious puberty" which make the child attain puberty earlier in age.The identities of the young parents and the baby are being kept secret as per the POCSO Act. Reports, however, say that they have had a baby girl at a hospital in Ernakulam.The boy is being believed to be the youngest father in India.While some reports say that an 11-year-old boy from Auckland, New Zealand, is the world's youngest fathers, others give that title to 12-year-old Sean Stewart from Britain.Read more at FYI: You'll be shocked to know why pregnant Aussie teens are taking up smokingHer body, her right: Women have the right to decide on pregnancy, SC judge says

Sanira Mediratta

07 Jan 2017,Saturday

Kerala among '12 Destinations to Watch in 2017' list

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kerala-destination-india-abta-tourism-travel-liftr/1/848311.html

Kerala has been ranked eighth among the '12 Destinations to Watch in 2017' list, according to the Association of British Travel Agents. The Travel Trends Report 2017 consists of locations that are expected to "capture traveller's imaginations" over the year. Andalusia in Spain topped the list, while other locations included Bermuda, Chile, Croatia, Denmark and Sardinia.

Not like we needed someone to tell us how beautiful Kerala is, but The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has released its Travel Trends Report 2017, and it reiterates just what most Indian travellers know. Among ABTA's '12 Destinations to Watch for this year' list, Kerala has bagged the 8th position, leaving behind destinations like South Africa, Vietnam and the US. Kerala is the only Indian destination that features in the list brought out by UK's largest and most influential body of travel agents and tour operators. While Andalucia (Spain) tops the list, other tourist hotspots chosen comprise The Azores, Bermuda, Chile, County Kerry, Croatia, Denmark and Sardinia. Kerala offers a multitude of experiences for holidaymakers, writes ABTA. Be it the diverse, exotic landscape with spice and tea plantations, a ride on a 'houseboat', local delicacies or wellness retreats, this destination caters to every aspect that could catch a traveller's fancy. Here is a glimpse of 'God's own country' to soothe every tourist-heart, and tell you exactly why you should definitely visit this destination in 2017. 

Sonu Kumari

24 Jul 2017,Monday

Penguin dressed up in red t-shirt on birthday at Mumbai zoo

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/in-pics-mumbai-zoo-s-mr-molt-turns-2-here-s-how-the-penguins-celebrated/story-uuF8J1RLMBvF6jWC6jZgWI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Mumbai's Byculla zoo on Friday celebrated the second birthday of Mr Molt, one of the eight penguins brought from South Korea. Mr Molt was dressed in a red t-shirt and was presented a 'fish-and-ice' cake. After some activists spoke against dressing up the penguin, the zoo authorities clarified that the penguin wore the shirt just "for a few seconds".

Mr. Molt, one of eight Humboldt penguins brought to the Byculla zoo from South Korea, turned 2 on Friday. And the zoo ensured he stood out. Dressed in a red t-shirt, hand-painted with the words Birthday Boy, Mr. Molt strutted across the penguin enclosure, swam, ate his birthday cake and frolicked with the other six Humboldts.Mr Molt takes a break from the group and chills in the pool. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo) To celebrate, the zoo made Mr.Molt a special cake ? a blast-frozen fish and ice cake for the penguin.Mr. Molt?s special fish-and-ice cake. (HT PHOTO) Eight penguins arrived at the Byculla zoo in July last year. One of them, Dory, died. But ever since the zoo opened the penguin enclosure, the seven others ? Bubble, Mr Molt, Flipper, Donald, Daisy, Popeye and Olive, have stolen hearts. Mr. Molt is the youngest of the seven penguins in the Byculla zoo. All others are aged between 2 and 3 years. (HT PHOTO) The seven penguins have helped bring in more people, and revenue, to the zoo.The penguins are kept in a 1,550-sqft soundproof public exhibit at the zoo. (HT PHOTO) The Humboldt penguin is a south American species found in the cold climate of coastal Peru and Chile. They were all named after famous Disney characters, based on their behaviour. Bubble is the naughtiest and does not let the others eat before she does, and birthday boy Mr Molt, the youngest male, is the most playful of the lot, said zoo officials. Dr. Madhumita Kale gives Mr Molt a check-up on his birthday on Friday. (HT PHOTO) Dr Madhumita Kale, the veterinarian in charge of the penguins, said Mr. Molt got his name because he was molting (shedding his skin, which regenerates on its own every year) when he was brought to the zoo. The oldest penguin, Flipper, is the most dominant and is very protective of her family, said caretakers. Donald and Daisy and Popeye and Olive, were obvious couples and were named so. City-based activists, however, were irked when they got to know Mr Molt was made to wear a t-shirt. ?While activists have been repeatedly telling Mumbai pet owners not to put clothes on dogs as it raises their body temperature, here we have specialists from the civic body torturing penguins like this,? said Anand Siva, animal welfare activist from Chembur. ?By putting a shirt on its body, the body temperature is being trapped and since these birds are kept in a cool climate, they can suffocate.?Zoo authorities said the penguin was made to wear the shirt for just a few seconds. ?It was done under proper supervision of the doctor. It was for a few seconds and removed after that. All the penguins are healthy. We know the rules and the systems to take care of them,? said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Byculla Zoo director. Humboldt quick factsWhat do they eat? They were first fed fish such as Bombay duck and eel. But they also eat mackerel, anchovies and sardinesWhat do the vets wear? Full lab coats, gum boots, face masks and head caps, mostly to prevent infecting the penguins or catching infections from themWhere do they come from? The Humboldt penguin is a south American species from coastal Peru and Chile.Play time? The animals play with colourful balls. ?Bubble and Mr Molt drag all the other penguins into the pool, the younger ones get bored and chase the whole family out. They enjoy having the pool to themselves,? said Dr Kale.

Chhavi Tyagi

06 Mar 2017,Monday

Won't drop charges against Advani, others in Babri case: SC

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/babri-masjid-case-supreme-court-advani-murli-joshi/1/897689.html

The Supreme Court on Monday favoured a speedier joint trial against people involved in the Babri Masjid demolition and said it will not accept dropping of charges against LK Advani and others on technical grounds. The SC is likely to give its final ruling on the matter in the next hearing on March 22 wherein the politicians may face trials.

The Supreme Court today expressed concern over delay in trial against people involved in demolition of Babri Masjid. The apex court has said that joint trial of the accused could be held in the matter to speed up the judicial process.The Supreme Court's observation today may brew trouble for BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. They are likely to face conspiracy charges along with others.The apex court is likely to club two separates cases going on in Lucknow and Raebareli.The Supreme Court bench of Justices PC Ghosh and RF Nariman made the observation today while hearing two petitions filed by the CBI and Haji Mahboob Ahmad.The CBI has challenged the Allahabad High Court's ruling to acquit Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti, the then UP Chief Minister and present Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh and others.The apex court had sought responses from all the accused during the last hearing. The Supreme Court is likely to give final ruling in the matter in the next hearing on March 22.Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque, was built by one of the generals of Mughal emperor Babar. It was demolished by a mob on December 6, 1992. Advani and Joshi were present at the site when the mosque was pulled down.Also read:

Tarun Khanna

15 Feb 2017,Wednesday

BJP leaders doze off in ex-Bihar Dy CM Sushil Modi?s presser

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sushil-modi-former-bihar-deputy-cm-bjp-renu-kushwaha-vijay-kumar-singh-janta-durbaar/1/882615.html

BJP leaders were caught dozing off during former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi's weekly Janta Durbar in Patna on Tuesday which was held to address people's grievances. Ex-Bihar minister Renu Kushwaha and her politician husband Vijay Kumar Singh apparently slept during the 30-minute press conference. Renu had quit JD(U) and had unsuccessfully contested Bihar Assembly election on BJP ticket.

In what has brought embarrassment to the party, BJP leaders were caught dozing off as former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi held his weekly Janta Durbar in Patna on Tuesday to hear the grievances of the common man.Former minister Renu Kushwaha and her politician husband Vijay Kumar Singh, who were sitting next to Modi, were caught napping while he addressed mediapersons. As is a common feature during Modi's janta durbar, every week some BJP leader attends the event with him. Renu Kushwaha and her husband were seated next to Modi today. During the 30-minute press conference, while Modi was busy answering questions, the politician couple remained the centre of attraction as they kept nodding off. While Vijay Singh slept blissfully unaware of what was happening around him, Renu was seen battling sleep many times.

Chhavi Tyagi

30 Jan 2017,Monday

Mulayam asks SP leaders to contest against Cong in 105 seats

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mulayam-singh-yadav-uttar-pradesh-assembly-polls-samajwadi-party-congress-akhilesh-yadav-rahul-gandhi/1/869747.html

Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday directed Samajwadi Party workers to file nomination papers against Congress candidates in 105 UP Assembly constituencies it has been allotted to contest. "What will our workers do on those 105 seats? They've all worked hard, what will happen to them now. This isn't right, I'll not let the party be destroyed like this," Mulayam added.

A defiant Mulayam Singh Yadav today directed Samajwadi Party workers loyal to him to file nomination papers against Congress candidates in 105 Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituencies it has been allotted to contest. "What will our workers do on those 105 seats? They have all worked hard, what will happen to them now. This is not right, I will not let the party be destroyed like this," the Samajwadi Party patriarch said.While nomination for the first two phases of the Uttar Pradesh election has ended, Mulayam's directive means the Congress may have to face his candidates in the remaining five phases.The threat from Mulayam came a day after he expressed his unhappiness with the Samajwadi Party-Congress coalition and said he will not campaign for it."This alliance will destroy Samajwadi Party," he said. "I fought a lifelong battle to establish the Samajwadi Party against the Congress."Mulayam said he is still trying to convince his son Akhilesh Yadav against going with the alliance.On Sunday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav took out a joint roadshow in Lucknow after addressing a joint press conference.A furious Mulayam trashed the alliance and said it was "most unfortunate" that Akhilesh Yadav had done so in his quest to grab power.Also read:UP Assembly election: Won't campaign for SP-Congress alliance, says Mulayam Singh Yadav

Shubhodeep Datta

16 Dec 2016,Friday

20-year-old woman raped in a car in South Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/woman-allegedly-raped-in-car-in-delhi-s-moti-bagh-accused-arrested/story-3abwg5RTnthpwTlPSCs1SK.html

A 20-year-old woman, who had come to Delhi in search of a job, was raped on Thursday by a man in South Delhi?s Moti Bagh area in a car, the police said. The accused, posing as a cab driver, drove the woman around for over two hours and raped her later. This comes four years after December 16 rape case.

A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped in south Delhi?s Moti Bagh by a man posing as a cabbie early Thursday, showing little had changed in the Capital four years after the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old student shook India.The woman got into a car at 9.30pm on Wednesday and was driven around for two hours before being allegedly raped by the driver in Moti Bagh after midnight, police said. She had come to the city in search of a job, they added.She was waiting near Safdarjung Tomb for a bus to Noida when a man, identified as Avnish, pulled up in a Maruti Suzuki SX4 car with a home ministry sticker on the windscreen.He posed as a cabbie and offered to drop her home for Rs 20 ? the usual rate for shared cabs from the area to Noida -- officials said.The driver then allegedly drove her around the city -- RK Puram, Chanakyapuri, India Gate and then back to Dhaula Kuan ? and when the woman asked him about the roundabout route, he refused to answer.?She alleged that the driver took her to a secluded spot in Moti Bagh and parked the car on one side. He then locked all the doors, overpowered her and raped her inside the car,? a police officer said.The driver was arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime.In another incident, a five-year-old girl was raped allegedly by her uncle in northeast Delhi?s Dilshad Garden. The crime came to light after the girl?s family brought her to Kalawati Hospital with injuries.The cases are a bitter reminder of the night of December 16, 2012, when the physiotherapy student was brutally gang-raped by six men on a chartered bus that she had boarded after she failed to get an auto or a public bus from south Delhi?s Saket to Dwarka.The crime triggered massive protests across the country as thousands of people demanded stricter laws and police patrolling to improve a shameful record of safety for female citizens in Delhi, where a woman reports a rape every four hours.The protests caused far-reaching changes in India?s rape laws and a nationwide churning that effected sensitisation programmes in police and administration.Similar to the crime four years ago, the 20-year-old woman said she got into the cab as she was getting late and no auto rickshaw had agreed to take her for the past 1.5 hours, police said.The woman said that she fought back against the driver and managed to escape from the car. She then ran to the main road, where she saw a police bike patrolling the area and approached them, police added.?At around 1:30 am the police saw the woman who alleged that she was raped. The personnel heard her out and without losing time, called the emergency response vehicle,? an official said.Within the next 15 minutes, the patrolling bike and an emergency response vehicle started searching for the suspect?s car but he could not be located.?The woman?s statement was then recorded and her medical was conducted,? deputy commission of police, south, Ishwar Singh said. ?A case of rape was registered and a hunt to nab the driver was launched.?Investigations revealed the car belonged to Mohit Pawar, a resident of south Delhi?s Kotla and the son of a Central Industrial Security Force head constable. He told police he purchased the car a few months ago and appointed Avnish as the driver a week ago.Pawar said the MHA sticker had expired and he had put it on the car?s windshield to avoid paying toll tax.According to sources, three teams were formed to search for the car, which was found abandoned near Moti Bagh, 100 meters away from the spot where the woman was allegedly raped. The police then immediately traced the owner from the car?s registration number to Kotla Mubarakpur. Following this, the details of the driver were procured and he was traced to a slum in Dhaula Kuan.?Avnish was arrested at 5 pm on Thursday when he was drinking with his friends in Moti Bagh,? a police officer said.

Tanya Dhingra

21 Jun 2017,Wednesday

Daddy isn't a propaganda film: Rampal on Arun Gawli biopic

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/daddy-not-a-propaganda-film-arjun-rampal/1/983798.html

Arjun Rampal, talking about his upcoming biopic on the life of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, said that they are not making a propaganda film and are just presenting his life story the way it is. "He has so many layers in life... they are so intriguing," added Rampal. He further said the audience could form their own opinions about the film.

Mumbai, Jun 21 (PTI) Actor Arjun Rampal, whose film "Daddy" is based on the life of Arun Gawli, says the movie is not an attempt to glorify the life of the gangster-turned- politician. The 44-year-old actor insists that it should be left to the audience to form an opinion about Gawli after watching the biopic, directed by Ashim Ahluwalia of "Miss Lovely" fame. "He has so many layers in life and they are so intriguing. Its not that we are making a propaganda film about him... The audience needs to make an opinion about him," Arjun told PTI. The actor says he is not glorifying Gawli on screen and is presenting his life story the way it is. "Ashim Ahluwalia wanted to say something strong and poignant through Daddy. It is not siding with anybody, it is not about glamourising someone but showing the realism of that world and bringing it out to people." The actor does not believe that he has taken a risk by making a biopic on a gangster rather than opting for an achievers life as is the norm in Bollywood. "Any film is a gamble or risk. You dont know what film is what. Like Neerja is a a biopic on an air hostess. Who would have thought that it will work? Every film is a risk as the idea or story might sound interesting but it can either go right or wrong," he says.

Chhavi Tyagi

10 Jun 2017,Saturday

National kabaddi player face rape threats over caste hatred

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kabaddi-player-caste-crossfire-bihar-kabaddi-player-rape-threat/1/975601.html

A national-level kabaddi and wrestling player has reportedly been receiving rape threats by locals of her own village in Bihar over caste-based hatred. The girl said, "They (the locals) say if backward caste girls start to play sports then what will girls from upper caste do." Reportedly, she also went to the police but they did not take any action.

Ruby (name changed), a national-level kabaddi and wrestling player has been facing rape threats from locals of her own village in Bihar for last few months. A resident of Pandarak village in Barh block, just 40 km away from Patna, Ruby has made a name for herself in kabaddi and wrestling much to the discomfort of the village strongmen who are threatening to finish her career by raping her."Despite coming from backward caste, we excel in sports and therefore villagers are forcing us to stop playing. I belong to Yadav community and the Bhumihars are threatening us to stop playing. They say if backward caste girls start to play sports then what will girls from upper caste do," said Ruby, speaking to India Today.But, this is not where the ordeal of Ruby ends. A junior and sub-junior national player, she has also been threatened with rape if she continue to pursue a career in sports. Incidentally, the upper caste locals are upset with Ruby ever since she defeated one of the girls belonging to their community recently."They eve tease me and they have beaten my father also many times. They ask us to stop playing kabaddi or else they will rape me. I had complaint to the police two months back, but nothing happened. When ever I go to practice 25 km away from my house, they threaten to rape me on the way," said Ruby Kumari, national-level kabaddi player.Ruby has met senior police officials in Pandarak couple of months, but they did not take any action against the upper caste locals. Shockingly, when Ruby came to Patna on Saturday to meet SSP Manu Maharaj and lodge her complaint, he admitted to have tried for a compromise between the girl and her tormentors couple of months back, but to no avail."This matter had come to light earlier and a compromise was struck between the two sides, but the strongmen of the village are still defiant. We will now take action in this case and arrest the accused," said Manu Maharaj, Patna SSP.

Aarushi Maheshwari

01 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Delhi Airport junks subpar body scanner; has no replacement

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-indira-gandhi-international-airport-junks-sub-par-body-scanner-no-replacement/1/871490.html

The Indira Gandhi International in Delhi has done away with the body scanner machine installed at terminal 3 due to its subpar performance. "It has multiple technical loopholes and hence, we decided to remove it following recommendations from CISF," an official said. However, with no replacement, officials are back to scanning passengers through metal detectors, which is not considered foolproof.

The Indira Gandhi International airport has done away with the body scanner machine installed at terminal 3 due to its below-par performance. However, with no replacement at hand, security officials are back to manual scanning of passengers through metal detectors, which is not foolproof."We had installed a body scanner machine (Pro Vision 2) to detect concealed objects made of metallic and non-metallic materials. During the trial period, the machine did not give the desired result," said an official of the Airports Authority of India."It has multiple technical loopholes and hence, we decided to remove it following recommendations from CISF," the official added.SMUGGLERS CONCEALING CONTRABAND INSIDE THEIR BODIESMultiple security agencies deployed at IGI observed that smuggling of gold, silver and contrabands have been on the rise since last year with passengers concealing them inside their bodies.On November 15, 2016, two drug traffickers from Afganistan were arrested from T3 after the health of one of them named Gulam Rabani deteriorated. He was offloaded and admitted in AIIMS where doctors found 57 capsules of heroine concealed in his stomach."Rabani had managed to dodge security agencies at T3 and boarded the flight. If his health would not have deteriorated, he could have managed to smuggle top quality heroine worth Rs 2 crore out of the country. The incident was an eye opener for us," the official said.Also read: Gold rush at airports after demonetisation

Aarushi Maheshwari

01 Feb 2017,Wednesday

The fatally poisonous Blowfish is a delicacy in Japan

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/fugu-japan-poisonous-fish-cyanide-pufferfish-delicacy-lifefd/1/870955.html

The Pufferfish, commonly known as Blowfish and Fugu, is considered a delicacy in Japan even though it is fatally poisonous. Reportedly 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide and without a known antidote, Fugu poisoning can cause death by asphyxiation within 10 minutes. Japan strictly controls its restaurant preparation by law, and chefs take 3-10 years' training to prepare it properly.

Trust the Japanese to do something the rest of the world can't even fathom, and ace it!For starters, the fish dish in question is called Fugu in Japan, or pufferfish, as the rest of the world knows it. Though it comes in various varieties, we most commonly know this fish as 'blowfish'--yes, the one that inflates at the prospect of any threat.First things first, this is what the pufferfish looks like:Okay, that's not a pretty picture. And that's not even an adult pufferfish. Let's just save you the gory details and get to the point. Here's what you REALLY need to know about this Japanese delicacy:1. It takes a chef three to ten years in training to be able to cut the fish right so it doesn't remain poisonous for the consumer. 2. Restaurant preparation of Fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan and several other countries.3. Accidental poisoning by Fugu can lead to death within 10 minutes.4. Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in its inner organs, especially the liver, ovaries, and the eyes; the skin is usually non-poisonous.5. The poison in Fugu paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious. The poisoned victim is not able to breathe, and eventually dies from asphyxiation.6. According to Wikipedia, Fugu poison is 1200 times stronger than cyanide, and has no known antidote yet.

Aarushi Maheshwari

13 May 2017,Saturday

Air India Chairman asks staff to carry their own luggage

http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/ai-wants-staff-to-carry-their-own-luggage-it-should-be-vips-next/story-lmzMfbiLI6aYPCmsom2WLO.html?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=push_notification&utm_campaign=PushCrew_notification_1494621579&_p_c

Air India Chairman Ashwani Lohani on Wednesday sent a WhatsApp message to Air India staff, including senior officers, asking them to carry their own hand baggage. Lohani, who called the move "in line with the PM's drive towards simplicity in public life," will also carry his own baggage. Henceforth, only MPs and unwell staff can request help with luggage.

In the last few months, India?s pervasive culture of privilege has got a sound beating: In March, Ravindra Gaikwad, an MP, hit a 60-year-old Air India (AI) employee with a slipper and soon found himself on a ?no-fly? list. Then in April, the Cabinet banned red beacons on cars. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that there are no VIPs, every Indian is a very important person.On Wednesday, Air India (AI) scrapped one more privilege, this time an in-house one. Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani asked the staff to carry their hand baggage on their own and not use porters as has been the practice so far. Air India has a subsidiary called AI-SATS, a ground handling agency, which provides end-to-end services such as passenger and baggage handling. Apart from this, some people are reserved to assist VIPs and airline staff. They are called porters and carry the luggage of the ?VIP? passenger from the entry gate to the boarding point. But now only VIPs will continue to use the services of porters, the airline staff will be discouraged to use it. ?Even CMD will not use the porter service,? the airline said.While the move appreciable, the change is cosmetic. The move would have got a higher rating if this privilege was taken away from VIPs too. While such changes are fine and make for good optics, there are so many things that the AI needs to fix and, hopefully, those will also get adequate attention. Take for example, the airline?s rating and public perception. In January, flight data firm FlightStats marked AI as the third worst-performing airline in the world. The Portland-headquartered firm?s survey highlighted issues over cabins, service quality, and flight delays. Though Air India disagreed with the report, such reports do impact public perception and eventually bookings. It is important to manage perceptions and AI has to invest time, effort and money into it apart from doing away with perks and privileges extended to staff. Then its finances. As a columnist pointed out last week, the organisation has consistently incurred losses and is severely debt-ridden despite equity infusion of around Rs 25,000 crore since 2012. More damaging was the Comptroller and Auditor General?s performance audit report of the airline, which was tabled in Parliament in March. The report said inefficiencies in the company may mean that a lot more of public money will be needed to keep the Maharaja afloat.

Arshiya Chopra

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Give NRIs e-voting rights: Supreme Court directs Centre

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nris-voting-rights-angry-supreme-court-admonishes-centre/1/1002615.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Angry over delay in providing 25-million-strong NRI population voting rights, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to submit a plan within one week that ensures NRIs can cast e-votes from abroad. The bench remarked that the government has been deferring the amendment since 2014, adding, "The US lets you vote from space...Here, NRIs are pleading for it."

In a big leap towards permitting a 25 million-strong NRI population to vote in Indian elections from abroad, the Supreme Court on Friday said it had to be done at any cost, and asked the Modi government to decide within one week how it plans to go about it.A bench of chief justice J S Khehar and justice D Y Chandrachud was angry the government had not made the necessary amendments (of the Act or Rules) in the Representation Of Peoples Act to allow the voting by NRIs, despite repeated assurances to the court. "This is a petition of 2014. Every year you keep saying 'we will amend'. You said this in 2014, 15, 16 and again ... this is not the way your government runs," an angry CJI Khehar told the Central government's counsel.The court was hearing PILs filed by two NRIs - Shamsheer V P, an NRI from Kerala, and Nagender Chindam, Chairman of the UK-based Pravasi Bharat - seeking the voting rights. "The US lets you vote from space. Texas laws have allowed astronauts the right to vote when on a space mission. Here, NRIs are pleading for it," said Chindam.Until now, due to the high cost of travel and time involved, only a minuscule population of NRIs came to India to cast vote. E-voting will allow them to vote without having to fly during elections. In e-voting, a blank postal ballot paper is emailed to the voter, who has to then fill it and mail it by post to their constituency. At a previous hearing, the government had accepted the Election Commission's (EC) view that the option of voting through an epostal ballot system could be considered for the NRIs.

Rini Kapoor

15 Jan 2017,Sunday

80% sanitation workers join work after strike: Reports

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/more-than-83-workers-join-work-strike-may-end-soon/story-JxoC27FI5w2IZG5hgnERYO.html

Around 80% of the east Delhi sanitation workers, who had gone on an indefinite strike in the wake of non-payment of salaries, have resumed work, according to reports. However, a section of sanitation workers continued to protest outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) headquarter, marking the 10th day of the indefinite strike on Saturday.

The strike by sanitation workers in east Delhi seemed to be heading towards an end, with more around 83% of workers reporting back to work on Saturday.Officials said the sanitation conditions in east Delhi started getting normal on Saturday after a majority of workers resumed work. A section of sanitation workers, however, continued to protest outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) headquarter on Saturday, the tenth day of the strike, to demand payment of pending dues. These workers, too later, hinted that they might join work after a final meeting with EDMC commissioner Mohanjeet Singh on Monday morning.East Delhi is divided into two districts, Shahdara south and Shahdara north. As per a senior EDMC official, of the 8,595 sanitation workers (regular and daily wagers) in Shahdara south zone, 6,800 resumed work on Saturday. ?Though 7,700 (90 %) staff marked their attendance, only 6,800 (78-80%) started work and helped in cleaning dhalaos, lifting garbage from localities with the help of tippers and also de-silting drains. The remaining workers went and continued the strike outside the EDMC headquarters,? said the official. A total of 1,450 metric tonnes of garbage was lifted from dhalaos in Shahdara south zone with the help of 33 trucks on Saturday.In Shahdara north, of the 7,900 sanitation workers, 7,000 were back to work on Saturday. ?On Saturday, they lifted 1,200 MT of garbage with the help of 35 trucks,? said another senior EDMC official. About 17,000 sanitation workers are employed with EDMC, out of which about 15,000 are employed full-time. Aakriti Sahni, a resident of Anand Vihar said: ?Sanitation workers collected garbage from roadsides and also cleaned the drains on Friday morning. On Saturday, tippers visited various colonies to clean internal lanes.? Some of the places worst affected by the strikes ? like Raghubar Pura, Ajeet Nagar, Dharam Pura and other neighbouring areas ? however, continued to wait for relief as most sanitation workers remained absent from work on Saturday again. ?We don?t want residents to suffer, but we have no other way of getting the authority?s attention. We know that EDMC is running in huge losses and it doesn?t have money to pay our arrears, but it can at least pursue the matter with the state government,? said Sanjay Gehlot, president of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union, which is affiliated to Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).Another protest on Feb 7MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union has announced a mass protest on February 7, which will see participation of municipal staff from various departments, such as horticulture, education, health and others. The sanitation workers will gather at Rajghat and later protest outside the chief minister?s office and Delhi Secretariat and demand the implementation of the recommendations of the fourth Delhi Finance Commission report and pending arrears.

Chhavi Tyagi

04 Apr 2017,Tuesday

India's first transgender Sub-Inspector joins TN police

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prithika-yashini-india-first-transgender-police-officer-tamil-nadu/1/920036.html

India's first transgender Sub-Inspector, K Prithika Yashini, has joined the Tamil Nadu police force after completing her one-year training. Yashini had moved the Madras High Court in 2015 after her application for the post was rejected. The court ordered the authorities to appoint her as an SI and asked for the inclusion of transgenders as a third category.

After fighting social dogma, gender bias and many glass ceilings, K Prithika Yashini has become the first transgender to be appointed as a police officer in Tamil Nadu.Prithika Yashini, who was born as Pradeep Kumar had to first fight the society to alter identify which she succeeded after a sex change operation to become who she believed she was from within.Yashini attempted to achieve a next to impossible goal by applying to become a police officer even after being fully aware of that the in police force is alleged filled with male chauvinism.Many couldn't even digest her bold move of applying for the force. Her application was also rejected stating that there were only two columns under which she can restrict her gender identity, either 'male' or 'female' but she went ahead and filled it as 'transgender'. This led to a legal battle and finally citing a Court order she won the battle against 'Tamil Nadu Uniform Services Recruitment Board'.YASHINI FAILED IN PHYSICAL TEST Then came the physical endurance and stamina stress where she cleared every test except the 100 meter dash where she reportedly failed by 1 second which almost led to her disqualification. But citing discrepancy an internal unofficial inquiry was conducted following which her name was cleared.Yashini, then underwent physical and police officer training and on March 31 she passed out of the Tamil Nadu Police Academy at Vandalur.Yashini took charge as sub - inspector of police at a Dharmapuri police station. Yashini's victory is considered to be a milestone in the development of transgenders in the country, giving the community a boost to chase their dreams.

Tarun Khanna

24 Jan 2017,Tuesday

Kejriwal?s brother-in-law being probed for corruption

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/arvind-kejriwal-relative-investigated-surender-kumar-bansal/1/865199.html

The Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police has ordered a probe on a complaint filed by an NGO against alleged corruption by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal. The NGO has claimed that Bansal, who had the tender to construct a drain, had submitted fake bills and invoices to the Public Works Department and made huge profits.

A preliminary enquiry has been ordered  by the Economic Offences Wing on a complaint filed by an NGO against alleged corruption by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal.Bansal had the tender to construct a drain and allegedly used dummy companies to do the work. The NGO, Road Anti-Corruption Organization, has claimed Kejriwal had helped his relatives. The complainant has alleged that Bansal had submitted fake bills and invoices to the Public Works Department (PWD) and made huge profits.A copy of the order, also available with India Today, has asked the complainant to come up with all the documents so that they can scrutinise it and check its veracity.

Chhavi Tyagi

27 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Air India carried 16,000 kg notes to remote areas in 32 days

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/air-india-government-currency-northeast/1/843854.html

Airline company Air India accommodated over 16,274 kgs of currency notes on 17 of its aircraft from November 10 till December 12, for distribution to the remote northeastern destinations and Port Blair. The Reserve Bank of India had sought Air India's cooperation to ensure dispatch of the currency to these areas to cater to the demand for legal currency.

To help the government in easing the suffering of the people post demonetisation, Air India accommodated over 16,274 kgs of currency notes on 17 of its aircrafts from November 10 till December 12, for distribution to the remote northeastern destinations like Agartala, Aizawl, Imphal, Bagdogra and Port Blair. The effort of the Air India has brought great relief to the people in those states. 

Deepali Aggarwal

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Saudi Arabia blacklists Qatari charity groups over terrorism

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/saudi-allies-blacklist-terrorists-yemeni-qatari-groups/story-92SQ9veEM7BRvpDzQ32vlO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on Tuesday blacklisted nine charity groups and nine individuals with ties to Yemen, Qatar and Libya, labelling them "terrorist" over suspected ties to Islamist extremism. This comes amid the ongoing Qatar crisis in which the Arab states suspended diplomatic ties with Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting terrorism.n

Saudi Arabia and its allies on Tuesday announced they had blacklisted charity groups and individuals with ties to Yemen, Qatar and Libya, labelling them ?terrorist? over suspected ties to Islamist extremism. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt released a joint statement naming nine charity organisations and nine individuals ?directly or indirectly linked to Qatari authorities? as ?terrorist?, according to a statement carried by the SPA state news agency. The four Arab states last month suspended ties with Qatar over allegations the Gulf state bankrolled Islamist extremism, an accusation Doha has consistently denied. The four states recalled their ambassadors from Doha, banned Qatar from using their airspace and ordered all Qataris to repatriate. Among the demands of Riyadh and its allies are the closure of Qatari broadcast giant Al-Jazeera, which has been banned in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Three organisations in Yemen and six based in Libya were accused of ties to Al-Qaeda and a Syrian affiliate of the group in Tuesday?s statement. The statement also said three Qatari nationals, three Yemenis, two Libyans and a Kuwaiti citizen were involved in ?fundraising campaigns to support Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist militias in Syria?. Kuwait has not joined the states boycotting Qatar and is leading mediation efforts to resolve the crisis, the worst to hit the Gulf since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981. Saudi Arabia and the UAE lead an Arab military coalition allied with the Yemeni government in a violent war against Yemen?s Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The war has killed more than 8,000 civilians since the coalition intervened in 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

Tarun Khanna

08 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Panneerselvam claims support of 50 MLAs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sasikala-natarajan-tamil-nadu-cm-o-panneerselvam-aiadmk-dmk-governor/1/877494.html

Tamil Nadu Interim CM O Panneerselvam on Wednesday claimed he has the support of 50 MLAs and will prove his strength in the Assembly. "Union Government is supporting Tamil people. Whoever extends support to Tamil people, we will accept it," he added. He also said that he will accept Deepa Jayakumar's (Jayalalithaa?s niece) support, if offered.

Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK is locked in an ugly war within as acting Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has vowed to stay put in office while party General Secretary VK Sasikala Natarajan accused him of trying to split the party with the opposition DMK's backing.A night after Panneerselvam revolted against Sasikala, who had been elected the AIADMK legislature wing leader, the long-time confidante of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa accused Panneerselvam of "betrayal" after he refused to back her plans to head the government.On his part, Panneerselvam announced that a Supreme Court judge will head a Commission of Inquiry to probe the December 5 demise of Jayalalithaa. He said there were many questions over the death.Both camps claim majority support among the AIADMK's 134 legislators in Tamil Nadu, with reports saying most of them have been bussed away to a hotel near the Chennai airport. Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao is expected to play a key role in resolving the crisis -- or recommend President's Rule in the state. Here are the LIVE updates: Tamil Nadu: Sasikala supporters outside Poes Garden in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/CC93kCxwroI continued with my post only after union govt asked me to do so after resignation: #OPanneerselvampic.twitter.com/bebSQ8mNbETN: #SasikalaNatarajan reached party headquarters in Chennai for #AIADMK MLAs meeting. pic.twitter.com/P56JnRKzi3#SasikalaNatarajan leaves #PoesGarden residence in Chennai for #AIADMK MLAs meet at party headquarter. pic.twitter.com/irIETlX8mgTamil Nadu Political crisis: #OPanneerselvam at his residence in Chennai, says will prove my strength in the assembly. pic.twitter.com/7LNCWXSWDrI will meet the Governor once he is back here: #OPanneerselvam in Chennai pic.twitter.com/0i3PLwSYHU#SasikalaNatarajan should be sworn-in as CM;If delayed itâ??ll be violence against Constitution;President must intervene-Subramanian Swamy,BJP pic.twitter.com/gbOlDA84y3How can we support #OPanneerselvam when he's in oppo?We're major party,want to come back to power,expose AIADMK's wrongdoings: TKS Elangovan pic.twitter.com/t9rzzDOhhaVisuals from #jayalalithaa's memorial at Chennai's Marina Beach pic.twitter.com/mzjqbjzwB9PANNEERSELVAM REVOLTS Immediately after being sacked from the post of AIADMK treasurer by party General Secretary VK Sasikala, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said that no one had the right to do so and dismissed claims that DMK influenced his move. He said his next course of action would "reflect" the "aspirations" of AIADMK cadres and people of Tamil Nadu. WATCH | No one in Tamil Nadu has the right to take away my treasurer post: O Panneerselvam on his expulsion"No one has the right to remove me from the post of treasurer which was given to me by Amma 10 years ago," he told reporters.Asked if the AIADMK chief had charged him with association with DMK as she could not find any other allegation, he quoted a Tamil proverb, the meaning of which is "I have nothing and no one to fear as I have done no wrong." Panneerselvam also said "I am a grassroot-level ordinary party worker." Asked if he would launch a new party and if he would call on Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, he said "please wait and see."Also read:

Aarushi Maheshwari

20 Feb 2017,Monday

British-era Bawana Jail undergoing renovation

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/bawana-s-19th-century-fortress-gets-a-makeover/story-wYj33O1MZVUs9kDyEawKIN.html

The British-era Bawana Jail is one of the 19 monuments being renovated by the Delhi Archeology Department. The abandoned 19th-century structure, which has also served as an orphanage and school, was once used to imprison revenue defaulters and villagers who failed to pay the Zaildari tax. It resembles a fortress and features an arched gateway.

After a game of cards under the warm sun in front of the tehsil in Bawana village, Baljeeet Singh (76) a retired municipal school inspector prepares to leave. As he limps back to his house in a nearby lane, he stops at the arched entrance of the tehsil, a British-era structure that is being restored by the State Archeology Department in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.?Ye theek kar rahe hain, pichhli baar cement bhar diya tha (They are renovating it using the technology. Earlier, they just filled cement),? he says.?This used to be my school. I have studied here up to Class 6. Like several others in the village, my life has revolved around this place. I spent most of my childhood here studying under the tree or playing in the dry well,? he adds.RestorationThe single-storey structure, made of lakhori bricks, is being renovated under the state archaeology department?s plan to conserve 19 monuments in Delhi, including Talkatora Garden embankment, tombs in Mehrauli Archeological Park, gateways of Chirag Dilli, and structures in Mehram Nagar.The area covers on 200 square yard complex.?We are using materials which were used in that era for restoration. The mixture is a preparation of lime, surkhi (trass), jaggery, and bael fruit (wood apple) pulp. In that period, around 23 ingredients were used in construction including urad ki daal (pulse),? said a conservator. The doorway opens into a courtyard surrounded by corridors and has two rooms in the extreme corner on the left. Villagers were confined in these two rooms if they were not able to pay up zaildari tax. (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO) Bawana JailThe structure looks like a fortress from outside, and has one arched gateway. The doorway opens into a courtyard surrounded by corridors and has two rooms in the extreme corner on the left. Villagers were confined in these two rooms if they were not able to pay up zaildari tax. The compound, flanked by modern-day houses still has old peepal, banyan, and neem trees.The complex housed one of the four zails (administrative units tasked with revenue collection) in Delhi. Revenue defaulters were also imprisoned here and so it came to be known as Bawana Jail.It was constructed in the 1860s when the zaildari system (revenue collection plan) was introduced. The in-charge of the jail was called zaildar or numberdar. Three villages ? Bawana, Alipur, and Kanjhawala were under its jurisdiction. Bawana tehsil was among the four administrative divisions with Mehrauli, Dilli, and Najafgarh.Next to the rooms is a small staircase, which leads to the terrace. There are bastions on all four corners on the terrace, which were used as guard posts too.?There used to be a small well inside the complex but it was filled long back. Later on, the water turned salty hence was not being used for drinking. I remember, children stumbled upon old coins when they would play on the premises,? says Master Dhani Ram (85), a retired headmaster, who studied at the school from 1942 to 1947.Over the yearsAround the 1930-40s, the building was converted into a school, which continued after the Partition. For a brief period, it served as a veterinary hospital. Later, it was converted into an orphanage, which was closed in 1981. When Sahib Singh Verma became the chief minister of Delhi, it served as patwari office (official who maintains land records) for some time.Since then the structure was abandoned and dilapidating. A major portion of walls was missing from the outer and inner face. The parapet also collapsed.In 2004, the Delhi government?s archaeology department carried out restoration of the historical site along with two dozen other monument across the city. The government also planned to convert it into a freedom fighter?s museum then. The proposal never materialised. Another failed attempt to conserve it was made in 2010 as it was to be showcased during the Commonwealth Games.?After its renovation, the government should maintain it. This will help glorify the contribution of Bawana in the making of Delhi,? Ram says.A senior official of the archaeology department, however, said the priority is to preserve the heritage.A glimpse into the history Bawana was established in 1168. It is believed that Jats came to settle here from Taoru, now in Haryana. Before making Bawana their final abode, they spent considerable time at Mehrauli too.Bawana was a cluster of 52 villages (Narela-17, Karala -17, Palam-6, and Bawana-12) with vast agricultural lands sprawled in about 52,000 acres. The village derived its name from the word ?Bawan?, which means 52 in Hindi. A plaque installed above the entrance of the tehsil reads: ?From the zails of Bawana, Kanjhaola, and Alipur, 1,231 men went to the great war (first World War, 1914-1919). Of these, 81 gave up their lives.?

Akshita Jain

08 Dec 2016,Thursday

Man cuts puppy's legs for a minor scratch in Dwarka

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/man-chops-off-puppy-s-legs-with-blade-for-a-minor-scratch-in-delhi-s-dwarka/story-hFIx8X1I25q1e4vzQWpD8L.html

A man reportedly severed two legs of a two-month-old puppy after the dog gave him a minor scratch in south-west Delhi's Dwarka. The police have initiated action against the accused under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The dog scratched the accused's leg with a paw which made him angry, an official said.

A man allegedly severed two legs of a two-month-old puppy after the canine gave him a minor scratch in southwest Delhi?s Dwarka following which police has initiated action against the accused under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.The incident happened last week when the puppy entered Pramod?s house and the latter offered him food, police said.In what may be called a love or its eagerness, the dog scratched the accused?s leg with a paw. Pramod got angry and brought a blade to chop off the legs of the puppy, said a senior police officer.Neighbours claim Pramod, an unemployed man, is often found in an inebriated state.?Punitive proceeding u/s 11 of PCA act has been initiated against the offender at PS Palam (sic),? tweeted DCP (Southwest) Surender Kumar. Punitive proceeding u/s 11 of PCA act has been initiated against the offender at PS Palam.https://t.co/HHgFENRhrT? Surender Kumar (@surenderkr_ips) December 7, 2016

Sumedha Sehra

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Northeast floods death toll rises to 80; 17 lakh displaced

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/damage-caused-was-unprecedented-death-toll-reaches-80-in-northeast-floods/story-0LSoLgkEzIczefsIXskedI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

As many as 80 people have lost their lives, while 17 lakh have been displaced due to the floods in the country's northeast region. The flood has hit 58 districts in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the damage caused by the rains was "unprecedented", and has suggested to make essential supplies available.

As many as 80 people have lost their lives in the floods that have hit 58 districts in the Northeast, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.Singh, who reviewed the flood situation in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur with officials of these states here, said the damage caused by the rains was ?unprecedented?.A total of 58 districts have been affected due to floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur where around 80 lives have been lost, he said.A boy rows a makeshift raft made of banana plants outside his submerged house in the flood-affected Kuthori village near Kaziranga National Park in Nagaon district Assam on July 11. (Reuters) The Union minister of state for development of north eastern region (DoNER), said the Centre is committed to provide all kind of support to the state governments in rescue and relief operations, an official release said.Singh said the ministry of DoNER and the Prime Minister?s Office are closely coordinating with a team, led by union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, which is currently visiting the region to assess the flood situation there.He said the damage caused by the floods and landslides has been contained to a large extent.Manipur has been affected by flash floods and landslides. (HT Photo) Singh suggested that experts from space technology and ISRO be roped in for carrying out an assessment of damage in the Northeast.He also suggested that essential items like staple food and baby food be made available for the affected people.The minister said he has approached the union health ministry to undertake measures to prevent outbreak of epidemics and telecom ministry for restoration of communication lines.The meeting was attended by secretary, DoNER Naveen Verma, senior officers from PMO, home ministry and resident commissioners of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and deputy resident commissioner of Manipur.

Prashanti Moktan

10 May 2017,Wednesday

Ed Sheeran to perform in India in November

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/justin-bieber-ed-sheeran-mumbai-india-concert-november-lifest/1/950377.html

Singer Ed Sheeran will be coming to India for a concert as part of his Asia Tour this year. While Sheeran's concert in India is scheduled for November 19 in Mumbai, he will also perform in other Asian cities including Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Seoul. The singer is touring after the release of his latest album '÷' (Divide).

Looks like the year 2017 will be full of musical surprises for Indians.Music lovers already seem quite overwhelmed with Bieber's much-awaited performance in India. But the carnival doesn't seem to end here.Ladies and gentlemen, here's another gift for you--this time it's Ed Sheeran getting ready for a concert in India.While the entire world is grooving to the sounds of the Shape of You star, Ed Sheeran's official website announced the addition of the India leg to his Asia Tour. Also Read:How did a pizza-beer diet make singer Ed Sheeran lose 20 kg?

Dishant Sharma

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Saroha wins club throw silver at World Para Athletics C'ship

http://www.hindustantimes.com/other-sports/india-s-amit-saroha-clinches-silver-in-world-para-athletics-championships/story-CALdZxyAEKFxNQsI5UXs9I.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Former national-level hockey player Amit Saroha, who met with an accident in 2007, clinched the silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51 category at the World Para Athletics Championships. Saroha produced his career best performance at the World Para Athletics Championships, throwing the club to 30.25 metres to set an Asian record as well.

For almost a decade, former national-level hockey player Amit Saroha has been wheelchair-bound, after a horrific a road accident in 2007 left him crippled.The severe spine injury would have crushed many others, but didn?t deter Saroha from chasing his sporting dreams. The 32-year-old overcame the disability with a never-say-die attitude, and on Monday gave Indians a sporting moment to cherish.The 32-year-old clinched silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51 category --- below waist paraplegic category --- at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships in London. The event is the equivalent of the hammer throw, only para athletes throw a wooden club.Saroha made amends for his disappointment in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where he narrowly missed bronze. He produced his career best performance in London, hurling the club to 30.25m to set an Asian record as well.READ | Sundar Gurjar puts behind Rio 2016?disappointment, wins gold at Para-Athletics WorldsRio Paralympics champion Zeljko Dimitrijevic of Serbia retained the title with a world record throw of 31.99m. His compatriot Milos Mitic took bronze at 29.06m.?I was expecting a medal in the Rio Games, but somehow missed it by a few centimetres. For the last nine months, I was eagerly waiting for the world championships to make up for my Rio loss. Thankfully, I was able to do it today,? Saroha told HT after his event.?This is my second medal in the world championships, but this one is special as I was able to increase my distance by around five metres from the 2015 edition, where too I got silver,? added the Arjuna awardee, who is assistant coach with the Haryana Sports Department. Hockey turf to para-sportsEven as he was coming to terms with the shattering accident, Saroha saw a silver lining after being introduced to para sports.?It was on September 21, 2007 when in a road accident I suffered the severe spinal injury. After a few days of treatment, I was told by the doctors that for the rest of my life I would be on wheelchair. For a moment I felt everything was over for me. But then I realised the accident gave me permanent disability, but still I didn?t lose my life. So, whatever happened is my destiny,? recalled Amit, who hails from Bayanpur village in Sonepat.?I consider the date of the accident as my new birthday, and since then I have celebrated it with my friends.?READ | With driver in tow, Paralympic body takes everyone for a rideDuring treatment in the Indian Spinal Injury Centre he met an American, who introduced him to wheelchair rugby. Saroha formed the Indian team and played a demo match against Brazil in the World Para Games in Bangalore in 2009.?In Bangalore I got to know about para sports. With six months? training in shot put, I made it to the national squad. The rest as they say is history,? said Amit, who has also won a Para Asian Games gold.Helping hand for fellow athletesSaroha, who has received cash awards amounting to around Rs 4 crore for winning medals at international level, has never shied away from helping fellow athletes. He has helped many disabled athletes to get take up para sports and has sponsored those not financially well off. ?By the grace of god, I am financially well off and what I have earned, be it money or recognition, is all because of para sports. So, it?s my time to give back to the sport,? said Saroha, whose protégées Dharmavir Nain, Rampal and Sunil Phogat are also competing in the World Para Championships in London. India?s other medal in London was won by Sundar Gurjar, who claimed javelin gold in the F-46 category (single arm amputee).

Vaibhav Gupta

23 Jan 2017,Monday

Kerala HC quotes Bob Dylan on petition against liquor ban

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bob-dylan-kerala-high-court-man-challenges-law-prohibiting-alcoholic-nobel/1/863834.html

In a ruling over a petition challenging liquor prohibition in the state, the Kerala High Court quoted Nobel laureate Bob Dylan's popular song 'The Times They Are a-Changin' while dismissing the plea. Adding that what is socially unacceptable may not be so tomorrow, the court asked the petitioner to have hope as "the times they are a-changing."

Kerala High Court explores art quoting the famous Bob Dylan who won Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.Read: Bob Dylan, legendary singer, wins 2016 Nobel prize for LiteratureAfter a man in Kerala challenged the laws in the state which prohibit alcoholic drinks, and the decision to close down bar hotels, Kerala court had its own way of dismissing the appeal.Kerala High Court remarks that 'right to drink' is not a not a fundamental right the same way 'right to choose', 'right to be left alone', 'right to privacy', or 'right to life' are, under Article 21 of the Constitution.Anoop who thinks that it his right to be let alone, to privacy, and it his right to life, filed a petition challenging the prohibition of alcohol in Kerala.Kerala High Court but dismissed his appeal and quoted Bob Dylan's famous song 'The Times They Are a-Changin' which was released in 1964.

Rini Sinha

08 Jul 2017,Saturday

Regret talking about Sridevi's Baahubali casting: Rajamouli

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ss-rajamouli-apologises-to-sridevi-sivagami-baahubali-2/1/997177.html

Baahubali director SS Rajamouli has said that he regrets discussing Sridevi's casting for the film publicly and added that it was a mistake. Rajamouli had earlier said in an interview that they couldn't cast Sridevi due to her 'demands'. "There were rumours that I asked for ?10 crore," said Sridevi and added that she was hurt by Rajamouli's remark.

India's most anticipated film, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, had an overwhelming response from fans across the world when it release on April 28. Though Ramya Krishnan's performance deserves a special mention, the character Sivagami will be more remembered for the controversy associated with Sridevi and filmmaker SS Rajamouli. It's a well-known fact that Sridevi was initially approached for playing Sivagami's role. However, when the Himmatwala actor turned down the offer, reports were doing the rounds that the actor demanded a higher remuneration for the film and hence, the makers offered the role to Ramya. Recently, Sridevi, while promoting her film Mom, said she was hurt by SS Rajamouli's comments and that the reports about her remuneration were baseless. Now, Rajamouli has responded to Sridevi's statements and has said that he made a mistake.According to a report in DNA, Rajamouli was quoted as saying, "As for whose version to believe, I guess it is for people to decide. But one thing is for sure, I shouldn't have discussed the details on a public platform. That's a mistake. And I regret it.""I have huge respect for Srideviji as a flag-bearer of the southern film industries in Mumbai for many years. I wish her all the best. And I wish Mom a big success as the trailer looks very intriguing and promising," he added.Rajamouli, in an interview to a regional channel, went on the record saying that the team was 'lucky' that Sridevi rejected the offer to play Sivagami.ALSO READ: Mom Movie Review

Ankush Verma

14 Mar 2017,Tuesday

Pak PM orders action on blasphemous social media content

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sharif-orders-action-against-blasphemous-social-media-content/1/903885.html

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered authorities to take immediate action against blasphemous content on the social media and punish the perpetrators. "Those behind this heinous crime should be dealt with, without any delay," Sharif said. He also asked the relevant departments to approach international social media platforms to put the blasphemous content off the internet.

From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Mar 14 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today ordered authorities to take immediate action against blasphemous content on the social media and remove sacrilegious contents and punish the perpetrators, days after a high court order. "Those behind this heinous crime should be dealt with, without any delay," Sharif ordered Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. "The blasphemous content on social media is a nefarious conspiracy to hurt the religious sentiments of entire Muslim ummah (community)," he was quoted as saying. He also ordered to take necessary actions in accordance with the judicial guidelines issued by the court. "Those responsible for blasphemy should be traced and punished according to the law," he said. The Islamabad High Court judge Shuakat Siddiqui last week directed the interior ministry to take actions against Facebook pages with alleged anti-Islam material. Sharif also said that accountability of those who misuse the blasphemy law for their personal interests should be ensured. He also asked the relevant departments to approach international social media platforms to put the blasphemous content off the internet. Meanwhile, Pakistans National Assembly today passed a unanimous resolution condemning the sacrilegious contents appearing on social media and agreed to constitute a ten-member committee to monitor such content. The lower house also agreed that, if required, the government should take legislative action against those posting blasphemous content on social media.

Mansha Mahajan

30 Jul 2017,Sunday

Sports firm boss wins case on ?126cr deal he made when drunk

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/26/mike-ashley-high-court-pub-deal-jeffrey-blue-sports-direct-newcastle-united?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Sports Direct's Mike Ashley has won a lawsuit over a £15 million (?126 crore) deal made in a pub in 2013. In the case, a banker alleged that during a ?night of heavy drinking?, Ashley agreed to pay him £15 million if company?s shares doubled. However, the judge said nobody would've thought what Ashley said in the pub was ?serious?.

Newcastle United owner and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has won a high court battle over a £15m deal allegedly made in a London pub, calling time on a case that will be long remembered for days of evidence concerning excessive alcohol consumption.The case revolved around investment banker Jeffrey Blue?s allegation that during a ?night of heavy drinking? at the Horse and Groom pub near Sports Direct?s Oxford Street store in January 2013, Ashley agreed to pay him £15m if the company?s shares doubled to £8.However, on Wednesday, Mr Justice Leggatt, who had said he found the case was ?a lot more interesting than some?, ruled that no one would have thought what Ashley said in the pub was ?serious?.?The Sports Direct senior management meetings certainly show that Mr Ashley is happy to combine discussion of business matters with the consumption of alcohol,? the judge said in his ruling. ?But there is no evidence to suggest that Mr Ashley has ever negotiated or concluded a contract at one of these meetings.?The evening at the Horse and Groom was, in any event, a considerably less formal occasion than the senior management meetings, as there was no agenda or structure for the occasion and the conversation was largely social or general chat, rather than being specifically directed to any business subject.? Ashley was not in court to hear the judge deliver his ruling, but his lawyers said he had won a ?comprehensive? victory.In a statement, the businessman said: ?The only reason the Sports Direct share price exceeded £8, and will hopefully do so again, is because of the sterling efforts of all the people who work at Sports Direct.?Ashley, who gave evidence at the trial, said he could not recall making the alleged deal and if he had it would have been ?obviously just banter?.He had told the court that he had met Blue, who was then an adviser to Sports Direct, and three other finance specialists at the Horse & Groom pub and ?consumed a lot of alcohol?.?I can?t remember the details of the conversations that we had in the pub as it was a heavy night of drinking,? Ashley had said. ?I do remember that we had a lot of drinks and a lot of banter. ?If I did say to Mr Blue that I would pay him £15m if he could increase [Sports Direct?s] share price to £8, it would be obvious to everyone, including Mr Blue, that I wasn?t being serious.? He said he paid Blue, whom he called ?Jeffers?, £1m for ?other deals? unrelated to the night in the Horse & Groom.Sports Direct?s shares hit the £8 price target in February 2014. The shares have since collapsed below £3, in part because of reputational damage caused by a Guardian investigation that revealed workers at the retailer?s Derbyshire warehouse were being paid less than the minimum wage.Shortly after the shares hit £8 at 1.04pm on 25 February 2014 Blue?s wife, who was also in court, texted him to say: ?It?s hit 8!!!!!?.Blue told the judge that Ashley was a ?serious businessman?. He said the work ethic at Sports Direct was ?like nothing else I have ever seen?, but he said Ashley sometimes did business ?in unorthodox ways and in unusual venues?.Blue claimed Ashley once vomited into a fireplace after a senior management meeting that was ?effectively a pub lock-in? and said the businessman would take naps under tables at ?boring? meetings.Lawyers told the judge that Ashley had run up legal bills of £1.5m, and Blue bills of ?£1m-odd?. The judge said Blue would have to pick up Ashley?s legal bills and £600,000 would have to be paid on account within the next month.Lawyers indicated that Blue had been ?assisted? by insurers in launching the litigation.

Daisy Mowke

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

Sunil Pal accuses director Bazmee of non-payment of dues

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sunil-pal-to-take-legal-action-against-anees-bazmee-and-friend-both-call-his-allegation-false/story-Y8PNBRvvCbCllTnq3a2YeM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Comedian Sunil Pal, in a Facebook video, has accused filmmaker Anees Bazmee and his friend Mayur Barot of not paying Sunil his fees for a stage show. He said he had been invited by them to perform at a family function eight months ago. Sunil added that he is planning to take legal action against them.

After accusing director Anees Bazme and his friend and associate Mayur Barot for non-payment of dues, comedian Sunil Pal is now planning to take legal action against both of them. However, Anees completely denies the charges. ?About eight months back I was asked by Anees Bazmee and his friend Mayur Barot to perform at a family function (in Mumbai). They told me I will be paid a certain amount later. But I never got my payment. And while Anees Bazmi got busy with his film, Mubarakan, Barot kept on telling me that they were getting a cheque drawn out for me. After so much of drama when nothing happened, I even messaged Anees Bazmi saying that I am planning to file a police compliant. I was shocked when he replied that I can do whatever I want to and that it won?t affect him,? says Sunil, adding both of them even said that they would cast him in their films but that too never happened. Meanwhile, the comedian-actor also contacted Cine And TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) and they had asked him to come with a written complaint. But Sunil never went to the cops because he thought that filing a case would take too much time. He therefore decided to make a video with a message for Bazmee and shared it on his Facebook page. In the video he says that he is sorry that Mubarakan didn?t work, and that its God?s way of showing justice to those who wrong others.?I made the video and sent it to Anees Bazmee around noon on Monday but he didn?t reply. So I thought I must upload it on Facebook. Some people have come to my support. Now I am planning to take legal action against both of them. I won?t let them get away like this,? adds Sunil of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge fame.Director Anees Bazmee denied the allegation brought against him by Sunil Pal.When we got in touch with Bazmee he said that the deal happened between Mayur and Sunil and he has nothing to do in it. ?I was just a mediator, who introduced them, beyond that I know nothing. Why will I do something like this for such a small amount? Sunil used to visit my Mumbai office and he was looking for work. Also I never promised to cast him in my film,? says the Welcome Back (2015) director. Voicing a similar opinion, Barot points out that the reason Sunil has dragged Bazmee?s name is because he is a well-known person. ?Sir (Anees Bazmi) has nothing to do with it. Sunil was looking for work and wanted to perform at this function. There was no discussion regarding remuneration. But then after sometime he said he wants his payment and even used foul language when I refused. His false accusation is defamatory for someone like me who is just starting his journey (he is producing Remo Dsouza?s film Nawabzade) in Bollywood. I just wanted to help Sunil, but it backfired,? adds Barot. Follow @htshowbiz for more

Niharika Prabhakar

26 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Goa to provide aid to farmers to help take care of old cows

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/goa-govt-to-provide-financial-aid-to-farmers-to-help-them-take-care-of-old-cows-parrikar/story-X4LSc7Vq7XazRPX34hmwAN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said that the state is planning to provide financial assistance to farmers to help them take care of their old cows. "The economical viability of maintaining a cow lasts till it gives milk. Once the cow becomes old, it is uneconomical and unaffordable for the farmers," Parrikar added.

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday the state government is planning to come up with a scheme to provide financial help to farmers so that they can take care of their old cows.The state has already banned cow slaughter through a legislation enacted in 1978, he said.?The economical viability of maintaining a cow lasts till it gives milk. Once the cow becomes old, it is uneconomical and unaffordable for the farmers,? Parrikar said in the state Legislative Assembly during the Question Hour.He said the state government will prepare a scheme to provide financial help to the farmers to take care of the old cows till the cattle?s death.The issue was raised on the floor of the House by former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane (Congress), who said farmers found it unaffordable to maintain the old cows.Parrikar said scheme would be worked out in next two to three months, on the lines of the state?s Stray Cattle Management Scheme.

Sumedha Sehra

13 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Photographer booked over pics of 'vulgar' girls' uniform

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kerala-vulgar-school-uniform-photographer-booked-under-pocso/1/977466.html

The photographer who posted a picture of Kerala school's 'vulgar' uniform, has been booked under the POCSO Act after the school filed a case. Zachariah Pookunnam had first posted the picture on his Facebook page, saying that he received it from a friend. The school had claimed that the picture was photoshopped and it was not the actual uniform issued.

A school in Aruvithura, Kottayam, is under fire for implementing an outrageous dress code for girls. The design of the school uniform has not only triggered a huge controversy but it has also got the ruling party CPM to hold a protest today seeking a withdrawal of the 'vulgar' uniform design.Zachariah Pookunnam, a photographer who first posted the picture of the 'indecent' dress on social media, said  he received the photo from a friend in Erattupetta in Kottayam. Terming it 'vulgar', Pookunnam had posted the picture of the school uniform on his Facebook page. The school received a lot of flak for its decision forcing girl students to wear the school uniform which they described as embarrassing.  SCHOOL MANAGEMENT FILES CASE AGAINST PHOTOGRAPHERFurious over Pookunnam highlighting the school's act, the management filed a police case against the photographer - Bose Eapen - who shot the girls in the controversial uniform.The Erattupetta police have charged Eapen under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Eapen has applied for anticipatory bail."This is just a baseless allegation against me and I see this as an attack against individual's right to speak. The situation has gone really worse as I cannot even face my relatives or friends," Eapen said.WHAT THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION SAIDSr Rosily, the school principal, went on record to say that the photo had been photoshopped and it was not uniform that was issued to the girls. The principal went on to say that the parents of the children studying there had not raised an issue until the alleged photo went viral.Parents-Teachers Association president Sabu Cyraic said that there was no problem with the uniform and no parent had objected to it. Rather the uniform was based on a booklet that showed designs for uniforms. "Obscenity lies in the eyes of the beholder," Cyraic said.

Anmol Sharma

16 Dec 2016,Friday

No Indians in Geoffrey Boycott's Dream XI

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/no-place-for-sachin-tendulkar-sunil-gavaskar-in-geoffrey-boycotts-world-xi/1/835758.html

Ex-England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott named his Dream XI cricket team which did not feature any of the Indian greats. Boycott said he did not pick Gavaskar in the side as batsmen from yesteryears like WG Grace and Jack Hobbs played under higher degree of challenges. "The Dream XI selected by the ICC's online readers insults...achievements of the greats," added Boycott.

Believe it or not. No Indians, not even the legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar featured in England great Geoffrey Boycott's all-time best World XI.Speaking at a private function in Mumbai, when asked to pick his all-time best World XI, no Indian made the grade in Boycott's assessment."I can't pick Indians just to please you," Boycott told the audience. "I can't get in the team myself. Gavaskar was a wonderful player and friend. Can I pick him ahead of Grace and Hobbs? Grace's numbers would look rubbish with 30 something. But you can't compare with today where wickets are wonderfully prepared. Back then, pitches were full of stones. They would have to wait till 2 pm to make the pitch dry. Today they would get mad if they are given wet wickets," he explained. Having chosen legends WG Grace and Sir Jack Hobbs as his openers, Boycott went on to pick Sir Donald Bradman and West Indian George Headley. Many of Boycott's choices were those of yesteryears as the greater degree of challenges they faced than the batsmen of today. "George Headley may have played only 20 something games but they called him 'the black Bradman'. He played at a time when West Indies were not doing well," he said."You have to look at the relativity of the players of that era. Look at Bradman he was twice as good as me," he opined. Boycott brought two more West Indians Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers in the mix. Both of these choices would probably tally with most of the experts."People pick players of today. We can't help ourselves with what we see. It's very easy to say long live the King, the King is dead. The kids growing up today may not have seen Tendulkar play. They may think was he really better than Kohli?," he said.

Aarushi Maheshwari

17 Jan 2017,Tuesday

German passport is the strongest in the world: Survey

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/german-passport-worlds-strongest-india-ranks-78th/1/859295.html

The German passport is the strongest in the world, offering visa-free or visa on arrival facilities to 157 countries, according to a list by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. The passports of Sweden and Singapore share the second place, with a visa-free score of 156. Meanwhile, the Indian passport has ranked 78 with a visa-free score of 46.

Indian passport has been ranked a lowly 78 in a global ranking of the world's most powerful passports which was topped by Germany. Germany stands at the top with a visa-free score of 157 while Singapore overtakes South Korea and becomes the highest ranked Asian passport with a visa-free score of 156. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Shubhodeep Datta

18 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Accident insurance for all in 18-70 yr age group in Haryana

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/haryana-govt-to-provide-accidental-insurance-cover/1/931860.html

The Haryana government has decided to provide accidental death and disability insurance of up to ?2 lakh for all the state's residents aged between 18 and 70. The insurance would be provided under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana scheme for which the premium would be reimbursed by the Haryana government.

Chandigarh, Apr 18 (PTI) The Haryana government today decided to provide accidental insurance cover to all residents of the state in the age group of 18 to 70 years. The insurance would be provided under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) scheme for which the premium would be reimbursed by the state government. A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here, an official spokesman said. The sum insured would be Rs 2 lakh each in case of accidental death, and, in case of total and irrecoverable loss of both eyes or loss of use of both hands or feet or loss of sight of one eye and loss of use of hand or foot due to accident, he said. Similarly, it would be Rs 1 lakh in case of total and irrecoverable loss of sight of one eye and loss of use of one hand or foot due to accident. The scheme would be an accident insurance scheme with one year cover, renewable annually, offering accidental death and disability cover. "The scheme would be offered through banks and administered through public sector general insurance companies and other general insurance companies," he said. All residents of Haryana having Aadhaar-seeded saving bank accounts, in the age group of 18 to 70 years, would be entitled to join the scheme, he said. Aadhaar would be the primary KYC for the bank account and insurance coverage, he said. The cover would be for one-year period stretching from June 1 to May 31. Consent form to join, pay, auto-debit from the designated savings bank account on the prescribed forms will be required to be given by the beneficiary by May 31 of every year, he said. However, applicants may give an indefinite or longer option for enrolment or auto-debit. In the first instance, the premium of Rs 12 per annum will be deducted from the account holders savings bank account through auto-debit facility in one instalment on or before June 1 of each annual coverage period under the scheme, which, in turn, will be reimbursed by the state by direct credit to the beneficiary account on receipt of information from bank, he said. The accident cover for the member would terminate on attaining the age of 70 years or closure of the account with the bank or insufficiency of balance at the time of renewal to keep the insurance in force, the official said. Similarly, if the insurance cover is ceased due to any technical reasons, the risk cover will be suspended and reinstatement of risk cover will be at the sole discretion of insurance company.

Aarushi Maheshwari

09 Jan 2017,Monday

'Moonlight' wins Best Motion Picture Award at Golden Globes

https://www.theguardian.com/film/live/2017/jan/08/golden-globes-2017-live-jimmy-fallon-la-la-land-moonlight-stranger-things?page=with:block-58700724e4b0be03bff4369b#liveblog-navigation

'Moonlight' on Monday won the Best Motion Picture Award in the drama category at the 74th Golden Globe awards. While Casey Affleck won the Best Actor-drama for 'Manchester by the Sea', Isabelle Huppert won Best Actress in the same category for 'Elle'. Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for 'Fences' and Aaron Taylor-Johnson won Best Supporting Actor for 'Nocturnal Animals'.

12.09am GMT 00:09 Benjamin LeeIMPORTANT: an NBC presenter just told Pharrell he was nominated for his work on Hidden Fences. Pharrell was polite enough not to tell her she?d just made up the name of a film.ALSO IMPORTANT: Al Roker referred to Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel as Jaystin Timberlake and Jessica Alba.Updated at 12.10am GMT 12.01am GMT 00:01 Benjamin LeeNatalie Portman has arrived and she is the frontrunner for best actress in a drama for her role in the unconventional biopic Jackie. She?s pregnant and wearing Prada. Sadly our fashion expert is at London Fashion Week so that?s literally all I can say about her dress. 11.52pm GMT 23:52 Benjamin LeeAnd let the Trump chat begin. Insecure star/writer Issa Rae, who is nominated for best actress in a TV comedy/musical, was asked about the reality star turned president-elect and gave some rather bleak red carpet chat about what?s to come:Golden Globe nominee @IssaRae on Donald Trump's Twitter account: "It's scary" pic.twitter.com/E1Ap92p9BX 11.49pm GMT 23:49 Benjamin LeeHere?s a promo for the show which, through the power of montage, makes it seem like it might just be the most exciting night of our lives: 11.43pm GMT 23:43 Benjamin LeeTREND ALERT: Michael Shannon and Sterling K Brown are both wearing sunglasses on the red carpet. Which seems rude but sure. 11.40pm GMT 23:40 Benjamin LeeWill it be Moonlight or Manchester by the Sea? More smugging to be done here with Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw telling you who will in but also who should win because life isn?t fair and it never will be: 11.34pm GMT 23:34 Lanre BakarePleased to have @questlove on the #GoldenGlobes Red Carpet! pic.twitter.com/Fvrg7FzRl7This clip featuring Roots drummer Questlove, really gets to the heart of what fame is all about. Glamour and passive aggressive instructions from photographers go hand in hand. OVER HERE! Thank you!?!Updated at 11.36pm GMT 11.32pm GMT 23:32 Benjamin LeeWord on the street (Twitter) is that the opening of the ceremony is going to be Stranger Things-themed. But this just-released clip also suggests some La La Land-aping. Subtle shade from one of Jimmy Fallon?s NBC cohorts earlier: ?He may not be controversial but he is musical? 11.26pm GMT 23:26 Benjamin LeeWant to say the name of the winner before a bejeweled celebrity does? Well, if you want to be that guy or that girl then smug away with predictions from our experts. First up, here?s what?s probably taking home the small screen awards: 11.24pm GMT 23:24 Benjamin LeeIt?s here! That Hollywood awards show that isn?t the Oscars! The Golden Globes, often seen as the slightly less highbrow cousin of the Academy awards, is actually a lot more fun. It eschews many of the drier categories (no best use of a pause or smoothest transition here!) and allows the many starry attendees to get drunk throughout.Typically, the host has always been a bit looser too so we?ve enjoyed Amy Poehler and Tina Fey casually eviscerate A-listers and Ricky Gervais ensure that he receives zero LA-stamped Christmas cards forever more. This year, we have the slightly safer option of Jimmy Fallon but he?s already promised Trump jokes and, let?s face it, he owes us an electoral college worth of them after he televised the pair?s sleepover last year.It?s also a promising crop up for awards this year, a slightly fresher pack than usual with La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea leading the film side and The Crown, The Night Manager and The People vs OJ Simpson making a strong showing.But who will win? Who will lose? Who will mispronounce a nominee?s name and go viral? We?ll be here with you all damn night providing answers and probably some yawns too. Stick with us!

Saloni Tandon

20 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Kohli equals longest unbeaten streak by an Indian captain

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-vs-england-test-series-chennai-test-statistical-preview/1/835250.html

Following India's win over England in the Chennai Test on Tuesday, Virat Kohli equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of longest unbeaten streak of 18 Tests by an Indian captain. India has won 14 Tests and drawn four in Kohli's unbeaten streak. India, led by Kohli, has been unbeaten since August 2015, which is also the longest Test streak for the team.

After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series against England, India will be looking to hammer the final nail in the coffin in Chennai. (Virat Kohli-Ravichandran Ashwin are the new Sachin Tendulkar-Anil Kumble of Indian cricket)If Virat Kohli and his men win the final Test starting tomorrow at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, it will be their biggest against England, the previous being the 3-0 whitewash in 1992-93 under Mohammad Azharuddin's captaincy.It will be a sweet revenge for the twin defeats, including a 4-0 drubbing in 2011, which India suffered at the hands of England in the last two series. (Virat Kohli wants to raise an all-time best team)Here are some of the interesting numbers to watch out for.Best series results for India (3-0 or more):A win or draw will give India their longest streak without a defeat. India have now not suffered a single defeat in last 17 consecutive Tests. Their last defeat was against Sri Lanka at Galle in August 2015. There has been another instance when Indian did not lose 17 consecutive Tests. This streak had come between 1985 and 1987. Kohli-led India have a chance to better their previous best. (Kohli keen to play county cricket before 2018 England tour)India's longest streaks without suffering a defeat:      Virat Kohli has now not suffered a single defeat in his last 17 Tests as captain. Among all Indian captains only one has a longer undefeated streak. Take a look:Longest unbeaten streaks for Indian captains:India have now won eight Tests in 2016, which are the joint-most they have won in a calendar year. Another win at Chennai will make it nine this year - a new record. (Running out of adjectives for Kohli and Ashwin: Ganguly to India Today)Most Test wins by India in a calendar year The series has been mighty successful for Virat Kohli - both as a batsman and as a captain. He has already set a plethora of records in the series and in the calendar year 2016. There are few more which are likely to be made in the Chennai Test. Take a look:As a batsman:Another 47 runs and Kohli will establish a new record of most runs in international cricket (Tests, ODIs & T20Is) by an Indian in a calendar year. Rahul Dravid had made 2626 runs in 53 matches in 1999. Kohli has so far aggregated 2580 runs in just 36 matches in 2016. (Virat Kohli one of the batting greats of our generation: Alastair Cook)Another 51 runs and Kohli will become first Indian captain to aggregate 1000 runs in a season. He will be the first Indian player to aggregate 1000 runs in a season since Gautam Gambhir, who aggregated 1269 runs in 2008-09 season, which incidentally is also the highest tally by an Indian in a season.Another 53 runs and Kohli will surpass his personal best in a series. Kohli had made 692 runs against Australia in Australia in 2014-15.Another 93 runs and Kohli will establish a new record of most runs by an Indian captain in a series. Sunil Gavaskar had made 732 runs against West Indies at home in 1978-89 - in a six match series.Another century and Kohli will beat Sachin Tendulkar's Indian record of most centuries in a calendar year. Tendulkar's had scored four centuries in 1997.Another 113 runs and Kohli will set a new record of most runs in a series in India-England Tests. Graham Gooch had made 752 in 1990.Another 135 runs and Kohli will set a new record of most runs by an Indian in a series. Gavaskar had made 774 against West Indies in West Indies in four matches (in his debut series).If he manages to score one more double ton, Gavaskar will become first captain to score four double tons in a calendar year. He will also be only the second player to do so after Michael Clarke who did so in 2012.As a captain:A draw at Chennai and Kohli will equal Gavaskar's Indian record of longest unbeaten streak as a captain. Gavaskar had led India in 18 consecutive Tests without a defeat between 1976 and 1980. Another win and Kohli will become first Indian captain to win four Tests vs England. Ajit Wadekar, Mohammad Azharuddin and MS MS Dhoni have won three.Kohli has not yet lost a Test as captain at home soil.What Kohli has done with the bat, R Ashwin has done the same with the ball. With 27 wickets in the series so far, Ashwin is the best bowler in the series from either side by a distance.After 43 Tests Ashwin's wicket-tally stands at 247, which is the highest for any bowler - spinner or pacer - at this stage. Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis shared the previous record with 222 wickets. In all probability Ashwin will break Dennis Lillee's record of being the fastest to 250 wickets in Test cricket at Chennai.In last two years (2015 & 2016) Ashwin has taken 15 five-wicket hauls, which is a record for any bowler in two consecutive years. The previous record was 14 five-wicket hauls by Muttiah Muralitharan (twice).Ashwin has now taken 25 wickets in a series on four occasions - joint-most by an Indian with Kapil Dev. Interestingly Kapil did so in 38 series, Ashwin has played only 15.Indian bowlers with most instances of 25 wickets in a series:Occasions     Bowler               Series Played4                   R Ashwin                 154                   Kapil Dev                 383                   Bishan Singh Bedi    19The frequency with which Ashwin is winning the man of the series awards one after the other is simply mind-boggling. He has so far won seven MoS awards, which are the most by an Indian in Test cricket. Players like Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, etc., all pale away in comparison. Ashwin's seven player of series awards are the most by an Indian (Sehwag and Tendulkar had won five each). There are only five players who have won more awards than Ashwin. The frequency at which Ashwin is winning his awards is simply mind-blowing - an award every two series on an average.Most man of the series awards for India:R Ashwin - 7Virender Sehwag - 5Sachin Tendulkar - 5Harbhajan Singh - 4Kapil Dev - 4 Rahul Dravid - 4Anil Kumble - 4Quite astonishingly Ashwin has been Man of the Series in last four consecutive series - vs Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka (2015), vs South Africa in India (2015-16), vs West Indies in West Indies (2016) and vs New Zealand in India (2016-17). If he wins another Man of the Series award, he will create a world record of most consecutive series awards. Ashwin has now taken seven 10-wicket hauls in a Test. Among the Indians only Anil Kumble is ahead of him with eight hauls. The frequency at which Ashwin has taken a 10-wicket match hauls is simply astonishing.     Venue Stats:Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) has been one of India's happy hunting grounds. In fact, Chennai and Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla are the two grounds where India have won most Tests (13 each).In last 30 years India have lost only one Test at Chennai - vs Pakistan in January 1999 - a match they lost by 16 runs.India's win-loss record at Chennai:   Average scores at Chennai (last 5 Tests): 

Tarun Khanna

02 May 2017,Tuesday

Haryana to become stray cattle free by August 15

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/haryana-to-be-stray-cattle-free-by-august-17/1/943087.html

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the state will become stray cattle free by August 15. The tagging of 89.3% of cattle in gaushalas and nandishalas (shelters for bovine animals) has been completed and the work to rehabilitate abandoned cattle is being undertaken in a mission mode, Khattar said.

Chandigarh, May 1 (PTI) On August 15, as the country will celebrate its 71st Independence Day, the northern state of Haryana would become stray cattle-free. That is the target that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has set and work to rehabilitate abandoned cattle is already on in a mission mode. At a meeting here, Khattar said the tagging of 89.3 per cent of cattle in gaushalas and nandishalas (shelters for bovine animals) has been completed and Haryana would be made stray cattle-free by August 15, 2017. The work to rehabilitate abandoned cattle is being undertaken in a mission mode and 27,000 animals have already been accommodated in gaushalas, he said. A community-driven model has been adopted and the states 22 districts have been divided into two phases of 11 districts each, he said. The districts of Nuh, Yamunanagar and Fatehabad have already been declared stray cattle-free and the other districts would achieve this target by June 30, he said. Unique Identification Numbers are being assigned to each animal during tagging and cow shelter managements and veterinarians are being encouraged to maintain computerised records of these animals, he said. Khattar also directed officials to impose fines on people who abandon cattle after the animals become unproductive.

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Jun 2017,Thursday

HC lawyers urge Bar Council to remove black coats dress code

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/calcutta-high-court-lawyers-black-gowns-coats-bar-council-of-india-prasanta-dutta/1/979394.html

The Calcutta High Court lawyers have written to the Bar Council of India, urging the removal of the black coats and gowns as the essential dress code inside the courtrooms. The lawyers asked the Council to consider changing the dress code imposed by the British citing the "unbearable" summer heat spell this year and black clothes being heat absorbers.

Lawyers of Calcutta High Court want to give up wearing black gowns and black coats as essential dress code inside the court-rooms.The summer has been unbearable this year, a stretch of heat spell in the months of April and May without any respite from the usual April thunderstorm -- Kalbaishakhi. Engaging in argument in this hot and humid season has been tortuous, not to mention the court room environment -- where heated altercation and even light banter keep the mercury soaring any time of the day and any season.But, this summer has been different. Having to don a gown and a coat and on top of that a stiff collar, the usual uniform, was practically becoming impossible. So, the lawyers under Bar Association of Calcutta High Court wrote to the Bar Council of India to consider changing the dress code imposed by the British.The chairman of Bar Council of India Prasanta Dutta also feels that it's time some thoughts are given to the court uniform.This year, the lawyers had also requested for extending their summer holidays from one week to a fortnight, even though the chief justice and other judges did not approve of it. Some of the courts heard the cases and dismissed the cases of lawyers, who were enjoying the extended vacation.Things came to such a pass that the Bar Association was planning to boycott four courts including that of the acting chief justice for allegedly making snide remarks.However, Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre met a few senior advocates following which the Bar Association is giving a re-think to their plans."Chief justice has assured that no cases will be dismissed and all cases will be heard expeditiously. She told us," said Association General Secretary Suranjan Dasgupta.Meanwhile, the issue over the black gown and black coat continue to bother the lawyer fraternity. With the monsoon yet to cool down the temperature, the lawyers are having to sweat it out and literally too.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Delhi government to auction VIP numbers for two-wheelers

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/vip-bikes-now-fancy-numbers-on-cards-for-two-wheelers-in-delhi/story-wdqXmhP1fzgX5jkcVDjSMI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi government is planning to e-auction special registration numbers for motorcycles and scooters, according to reports. The minimum price for '0001' number has been set at ?50,000 and, bidding for numbers from '0002' to '0009' will begin from ?30,000. Any other registration number an individual would want will cost ?5,000, reports added.

Those who had been wishing for a fancy number plate for their two-wheelers will soon have an opportunity to make their dream come true as the Delhi government is planning to e-auction special registration numbers for motorcycles and scooters. The minimum price for the golden number ?0001? has been proposed at Rs 50,000, while bidding for numbers from 0002 to 0009 will begin from Rs 30,000.Last month, the department had sold the hottest number ?0001? for a whopping Rs 16 lakh. Auctions like these bring a windfall to the government?s exchequer and gratifies people?s desire for special digits on number plates ? from date of birth to astrological and numerological numbers that are believed to bring prosperity.Gauging the high demand for numbers like 0786, 1111, 9999, 7777 and 1000, the transport department has set a base price of Rs 20,000 for them. While all these premium numbers will be issued only through e-auctions, another category of numbers like 0100, 2222, 8888, 6666 and so on will be sold for Rs 15,000 on first-come-first-serve basis. Any other registration number an individual would want will cost Rs 5,000..cashing_wrap {width:50%; border:dashed 1px #999; padding:10px; font-family:"Open Sans"; float:left; margin-right:12px}.cashing_headline {width:auto; margin-bottom:5px; font-size:150%; font-weight:bold; font-family:"PT Serif";}.cashing_line {width:auto; border:dotted 1px #999; margin-bottom:3px; margin-top:3px}.cashing_space {width:auto; margin:6px}.cashing_point ul {width:auto; list-style:url(http://www.hindustantimes.com/static/ht2016/10/bulletbrown1.png); margin:10px; padding-left:11px}.clrboth {clear:both; margin:5px}@media only screen and (max-width:400px) {.cashing_wrap {width:auto; border:dashed 1px #999; padding:10px; font-family:"Open Sans"; float:left; margin-right:0px}}Cashing in on number crazeGovt has now proposed rates of fancy numbers for bikes? Bike owners demand fancy numbers, say officials. (HT FILE)The move assumes significance as the VIP numbers from 0001 to 0100 are currently available only for four-wheelers. This is despite the fact that two-wheelers are more than double (over 64 lakh) in number in Delhi compared to cars (over 30 lakh).?Just like in cars, there is a huge demand for fancy numbers among owners of motorcycles and scooters. There is so much craze that almost every other day, owners of high-end bikes come to us asking for VIP numbers, but our Motor Licensing Officer (MLO) has no option but to turn them down,? an official said.The entire process of getting registration numbers for two-wheelers, including payments, is going to be made online. At present, the system is manual, where the service is available only at the Mall Road licensing office.For nearly two years, the government had stopped issuing numbers from 0001 to 0100 to two-wheelers as this proposal was being prepared. ?The proposal is ready and has been sent to the law department. Once it is cleared by the chief minister, it will be sent to the lieutenant governor for his approval. If all goes well, then the first e-auction would be done by August end or September,? the official said.For four-wheelers, the base auction price for the number ?0001? is Rs 5 lakh, while those from ?0002? to ?0009? start at Rs 3 lakh. In the third category, bidding for numbers such as 0786, which is popular among Muslims as a talisman, start at Rs 2 lakh.

Parmeet Kaur

21 Jul 2017,Friday

Mumbai University results to be out by August after delays

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-university-results-to-be-out-by-mid-august-teachers-say-glitches-are-delaying-assessment/story-NzvMzZgpWP5PV4JqSFPmFN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

University of Mumbai (MU) hopes to declare the results of the examinations conducted this year between March and April by the second week of August, MU officials said. The university had adopted an on-screen assessment system which reportedly caused the delay, prompting protests. Several MU colleges have started post-graduate classes without the results being declared to avoid further delays.

After weeks of speculation, University of Mumbai officials said they hope to announce the results of major examinations conducted earlier this year, by second week of August. While they said they were happy with the pace at which papers were being assessed over the past few weeks, teachers are still complaining about technical glitches delaying the result.?Many teachers are still complaining that they receive answer booklets in Marathi instead of English. Though teachers are entitled to evaluating the answer sheets of three papers, some have only got the requisite codes for one. Even if they want a larger share of the workload, they cannot do it. Such glitches are hindering us from speeding up the process,? said the principal of a suburban college, who did not wish to be identified. He added that even with new central assessment process (CAP) centres being set up across the city, teachers are still finding it difficult to finish assessment work.MU is still receiving complaints from teachers, who said network problems are affecting the basic uploading of answer booklets daily. ?On some days, evaluating a single answer booklet can take up to an hour. Each page takes several minutes to upload, and only then can I assess them. It is frustrating,? said a professor, who did not wish to be identified. She said most teachers are still trying to work around these problems just to ensure that results are announced soon.Earlier this month, governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had ordered MU to announce all results by July 31. However, this now seems unlikely. ?Assessment work is going on well and we hope to announce the results of various courses by the end of this month. The results of courses which a large number of students have opted for will be announced a week later,? said an MU official.

Akshita Jain

30 Jan 2017,Monday

Women arrested in Delhi for smuggling gold in form of wires

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/smugglers-get-innovative-again-2-women-held-at-delhi-airport-with-1kg-gold-as-white-wire/story-YU5mUmxo9ULdyJiHkCryoK.html

Two women have reportedly been arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport for trying to smuggle in gold, worth ?27 lakh, moulded in the form of wires. The women were returning from Bangkok and the wires were hidden in the lining of their suitcases. It is now being probed whether the accused are part of a bigger racket.

Customs officials have arrested two women passengers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for allegedly trying to smuggle in gold weighing around 1kg worth Rs 27 lakhs. The metal was concealed in the form of wire with white coating. The arrested women are from Panipat and were returning from Bangkok on Sunday. They were intercepted by custom officials after they crossed the green channel. The gold wires were concealed in their bags. ?While keeping surveillance on the passengers coming from Bangkok, two women passengers, both Indian passport holders, were intercepted after the green channel. On search of their baggage, pieces of gold wire coated white weighing 1,008 gms and valued at Rs 27.30 lakh were recovered,? an official said.He said it was being probed whether they were a part of any organised racket or just carriers. Earlier this month, a passenger was caught by the customs officials at Delhi airport for allegedly carrying gold foils pasted on a carton. Gold weighing 700 gm worth up to Rs18.5 lakh was recovered. According to the official, smugglers are trying every trick to smuggle gold to Delhi as the customs department has increased vigil. ?We have come across cases in which gold was stitched into a brassiere, stuffed in the rod of baby walker, and tied on thigh guards and waist,? he said.Customs had seized 6.6 kg gold from the Delhi airport in 2012-13, which increased to 384 kg in 2013-14. During 2014-15, the officials seized 574 kg gold and in 2016, over 220 kg gold worth ?60 crore was confiscated.

Daisy Mowke

12 Jan 2017,Thursday

I cannot think of remarriage: Hrithik Roshan

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/hrithik-roshan-remarriage-sussanne-khan-divorce-kaabil/1/855727.html

Actor Hrithik Roshan, who split from his ex-wife Sussanne Khan in 2013, has said that at present he cannot think of remarriage. "I feel satiated, I feel content," he added. Hrithik further said that he is currently focussing on being self-sufficient. Hrithik and Sussanne got married in the year 2000 and got officially divorced in 2014.

Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan's romance was the stuff of legend. The childhood sweethearts' marriage gave us goals for over thirteen years, and their separation was a major jolt. But it has been a while since their divorce, and fans are keen to see their favourite superhero tie the knot again.PHOTOS: Ex-wife Sussanne Khan joins Hrithik Roshan for his birthday bash

Chhavi Tyagi

04 Feb 2017,Saturday

Actress Gautami questions Centre's silence on TN, Jaya issue

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jayalalithaa-death-actress-gautami-tadimala-centre-tamil-nadu-government-pm-modi/1/874818.html

Actress Gautami Tadimala has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why the Centre was silent on pressing issues of Tamil Nadu, including the row over Jayalalithaa's death. She alleged that the Prime Minister had ignored Tamil Nadu's concerns. "Is south India, most specifically Tamil Nadu, not deserving of the attention and accountability of our central government," she questioned.

On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking on the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav and BSP Supremo Mayawati at the same time at a rally in Meerut, actress Gautami Tadimala, in a letter, criticised him for ignoring Tamil Nadu's concerns.  Also read | Sasikala set to take charge as Tamil Nadu CM? Decision likely in crucial AIADMK meet tomorrowHere's the full text of Gautami's letter:I have written an open and very direct letter to our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, regarding my questions on the tragic demise of Amma, our Honourable Chief Minister Dr. J Jayalalithaa. This letter was published on the 8th of December 2016 through my blog and directly sent to his Twitter handle as well as that of his office. Subsequent to this, the pain and uncertainty I expressed in my letter have been amplified to resonate through the country and our citizens throughout the world. The outpourings of anguish from citizens of Tamil Nadu and all over India, have joined forces with my voice addressed to our Prime Minister. I have addressed our Prime Minister on the most democratic public platform as this is a matter that is of the greatest public relevance and importance.Our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, has been one of, if not our earliest, political leaders to embrace the ways of today's modern world. Most specifically in his wholehearted espousal of modern technology and social media. He has been a most vociferous proponent of utilising technology and digital and social media to make communication instantaneous and effective. He has reiterated time and again his accessibility on digital and social media platforms to the common citizen of India. There are several examples of his drive and initiatives to this effect but I will not digress in order to reiterate what is a very well-known fact.If we are to be told today that a letter that was addressed directly to our Prime Minister, the contents of which raged across our nation both on national media and social media, has escaped the notice of his office and therefore himself, it is an extremely devastating reality for us to face. As a political leader, who has promised to listen to his people and bring about true and meaningful change in the way this country has been governed through the past decades, this denying any knowledge even of a justified and rightful query from the very citizens of his country is disappointing to say the least. How is a citizen's query, made with honest intent and immense grief, any less relevant because it has been delivered on a communication platform of modern technology?DOES TAMIL NADU NOT DESERVE PM'S ATTENTION, ASKS GAUTAMIIn the time since writing that letter, I have been steadfast in my faith in my Prime Minister. Faith in his accountability to the people of his nation as per the tenets of democracy. Faith in him as an individual leader who has shown the strength to take harsh and potentially unpopular steps for the betterment of this country. Faith in his word when he said the entire nation is one for him. Then why this denial now? Is south India and most specifically Tamil Nadu, not deserving of the attention and accountability of our central government? Yes, several members of the central government and other officials have travelled back and forth to Chennai during the period of Amma's hospitalisation and "treatment" but have we, the people of Tamil Nadu, received even one response to any of our entreaties? To deny answers to our questions and deny justice to Amma is to deny Tamil Nadu itself. Why must we be forced to accept this apathy towards our anguish and uncertainty?AMMA'S DEMISEMy state has been battered for the past several months in unprecedented and shattering ways. Amma's heartrendingly tragic demise that has left an indelible mark upon each of us in different ways. Cyclone Varadha that tore us up and ripped us apart in a storm of huge proportions. We are still, and will be struggling for a long time to come, with the devastating aftermath of this calamity. Our awe-inspiringly peaceful and rightful protest by the people of Tamil Nadu all over the world to uphold the age-old traditions of one of the oldest-known cultures in the world. Our farmers continue to be battered to the point of ending their lives out of sheer hopelessness, knowing their cries are unheard.Through all of these devastating happenings, I, we, have been waiting.  Waiting and hopeful of meaningful support and response from our central government. Respectful of the demands of due process and the inner workings of government and politics. However, there must come a time when we must ask if this silence is more than a preoccupation with matters of "greater" importance. What is the message inherent in such a steadfast silence on a matter critical to the very basis of a democratic state and the safety and security of its citizens? A leading politician of our country and the serving chief minister of one of India's foremost states has died in office under conditions that are shrouded in mystery and complete obscurity. As citizens of this state and this nation, we are entitled to have complete knowledge of these details. It is a fundamental confidence and security that a democratic nation owes her people. In addition to this, Amma is a leader who has a lasting and very real bond with crores of her people who love and respect her. Our anguish and our grief must be respected and honoured with answers. With the truth.

Shubhodeep Datta

28 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Constable suspended for allegedly helping women pickpockets

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/head-constable-who-was-caught-on-cctv-helping-thieves-in-delhi-metro-suspended/story-rwfVmW1wT1dzM4dtuP6pGM.html

The Delhi Police have suspended a head constable who was allegedly caught accepting an unidentified object from a gang of women pickpockets on CCTV at a Delhi Metro station. The gang was later arrested on the complaint of a US-based woman, who had reported the theft of her jewellery and other valuables while travelling in the metro.

The Delhi Police have suspended a head constable who was allegedly caught accepting an unidentified object from a gang of women pickpockets on CCTV at the Chawri Bazar Metro station.The Hindustan Times had reported the story on December 24 along with the exclusive CCTV?footage in which the cop could be seen putting in his pocket something that one of the gang members handed him. The gang was later arrested on the complaint of a US-based woman who had reported the theft of his jewellery and other valuables while travelling to Gurgaon in the Metro. The thieves were identified in a selfie that the woman clicked with her husband in the train. The selfie showed two women standing around them. When the CISF searched the CCTV?footage on the route, it showed that the women were part of a six-member gang. And the same day they stole the jewellery, they were allegedly seen with the cop. The police have launched a detailed inquiry to investigate, if there are more such cases. The police have also asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the Metro premises, to provide more such footage, if any, to nail cops who might be helping or protecting pickpockets.?The head constable has been identified based on the appearance in the footage. Though his face is not clear in the footage, we have identified him. He has been placed under suspension. A detailed inquiry has been ordered and more action will be taken if we find involvement of other staff too,? said a senior Delhi police official.The six women pickpockets were arrested on December 13 and jewellery worth R 22 lakh was recovered from them. In at least two clips, the pickpockets are seen handing over something to the constable, who is seen hurriedly putting what he was given in his pocket. Watch?|?Holding hands with a police officer or criminal collision?Read: Police help for Delhi Metro pickpockets? Video throws up questionsInvestigators from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) suspect collusion between the pickpockets and staff of the Delhi Police, but are hesitant to come on record. They also claim that there are many such clips and they have ?verbally? informed senior police officials.?We have contacted CISF and have asked them to provide us more clippings. Action will be taken. We will also take statement of pickpockets,? the police officer added. Explaining the incident, a CISF?official said: ?According to the complainant, an NRI couple, they boarded the train going towards Gurgaon around 2pm on December 9 from New Delhi Railway Station. They reached Chattarpur at 3pm and noticed that the zip of the woman?s bag was open.? ?They found that a small bag containing jewellery was missing. After receiving the complaint, we started scanning the footage to trace the movement of the gang. We noticed the gang with the Delhi Police official around 2pm at Chawri Bazar Metro station,? the official said. Sources in the CISF said the further investigations revealed that the gang usually boarded the Metro at Kirti Nagar station on the Dwarka line. ?On December 13, they came to the Chawri Bazar station and were nabbed. They confessed their involvement and helped us in recovering the stolen jewellery,? the official said.

Saloni Tandon

21 Jul 2017,Friday

Armstrong?s bag with traces of moon dust sells for ?11.6cr

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/neil-armstrong-s-moon-bag-sells-for-1-8-million-at-auction/story-obbVkoIN8ySxApY8ZieKnM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A bag used by US astronaut Neil Armstrong to bring moon dust samples back to Earth was sold for $1.8 million (?11.58 crore) at an auction in New York on Thursday. After the Apollo 11 mission, the bag was stolen from Houston's Johnson Space Center before being found years later. The bag reportedly still contains traces of moon dust.

A bag used by US astronaut Neil Armstrong to bring the first samples of moon dust back to Earth was sold to an anonymous bidder for $1.8 million at an auction in New York on Thursday marking the 48th anniversary of the first moon landing.The bag, which for years sat unidentified in a box at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, was bought by a person who bid by telephone and did not wish to be named publicly, auctioneer Sotheby?s said.Auctioneers had expected the bag to fetch between $2 million and $4 million.It was the highest-value item at an auction of moon memorabilia that included the Apollo 13 flight plan annotated by its crew, which sold for $275,000; a spacesuit worn by US astronaut Gus Grissom, which sold for $43,750, and a famous image of Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 on the moon taken by Neil Armstrong, which went for $35,000.After Armstrong and his Apollo 11 crew came come in July of 1969, the fate of the 12-inch by 8.5-inch (30-cm by 22-cm) bag labelled ?Lunar Sample Return, was unknown for decades. After disappearing from the Johnson centre, it surfaced in the garage of the manager of a Kansas museum, Max Ary, who was convicted of its theft in 2014, according to court records.The bag was seized by the US Marshals Service which put it up for auction three times, drawing no bids, until it was bought in 2015 for $995 by a Chicago-area attorney, Nancy Lee Carlson.She sent the bag to NASA for authentication, and when tests revealed it was used by Armstrong and still had moon dust traces inside, the US space agency decided to keep it.Carlson successfully sued NASA to get the bag back, and the attention created by her legal challenge prompted many inquiries from potential buyers, according to Sotheby?s. That led Carlson to decide to auction it again.One group criticized the decision to sell a piece of space history.?The bag belongs in a museum, so the entire world can share in and celebrate the universal human achievement it represents,? said Michelle Hanlon cofounder of For All Moonkind, a non-profit formed to persuade the United Nations to adopt measures to preserve and protect the six Apollo lunar landing sites.

Mansha Mahajan

24 Feb 2017,Friday

Rasna seeking ?250 cr revenue from snack category: Chairman

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rasna-eyes-rs-250-cr-revenue-from-snack-category/1/890034.html

Fruit juice concentrate maker Rasna is eyeing a revenue of ?250 crore in the next three years from the snack category, Chairman Piruz Khambatta said. Rasna, which has presence in the sweet snack category with its brand Vitos, is planning to introduce ethnic and western snacks. Notably, Rasna enjoys an 85% market share in the ?1,000 crore powdered drink space.

Mumbai, Feb 23 (PTI) Fruit juice concentrate maker Rasna today said it is eyeing a revenue of Rs 250 crore in the next three years from the snack category. "We are looking at 5 per cent market share of a Rs 5,000 crore market that is growing at 15-16 per cent in the next three years. We are looking at Rs 250 crore from this category in the next three years," Rasna Chairman and Managing Director Piruz Khambatta told reporters here. Rasna, which has presence in the sweet snack category with its brand Vitos, is also planning to launch to introduce ethnic snacks and western snacks. The company has invested Rs 100 crore so far on Vitos and plans to export the snack brand to the neighbouring countries this year. "We are looking at taking it to the neighbouring countries. Mostly we will be starting our distribution in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka this year," he added. With a footprint across 53 countries, exports contribute to 30 per cent of the companys sales, driven largely by Middle East.

Chhavi Tyagi

16 Feb 2017,Thursday

Canada sets free 1985 Air India Kanishka bomber Inderjit

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/inderjit-singh-reyat-1985-air-india-flight-kanishka-canada-canada-parole-board/1/883992.html

Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted in the case related to the bombing of Air India flight 182, called Emperor Kanishka, in 1985 has been released by the Parole Board of Canada. Reyat had served two-thirds of a nine-year jail sentence for perjury in connection with the bombing of Air India flight 182 that killed 329 people.

Canada has set free the lone person convicted in the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, called Emperor Kanishka, in which around 330 people were killed.The convict Inderjit Singh Reyat, who had served two decades in prison, had been asked to stay in a halfway house after walking out of prison one year ago.Canada's parole board spokesman Patrick Storey was quoted as saying, "That condition has been lifted now. Reyat is now free to go back to a normal life, and also has the option of living in a private residence".  Reyat, a Sikh immigrant from India, was convicted of making bombs that were stuffed into luggage bags and planted on 2 planes leaving Vancouver, and of lying in court to cover up for his co-accused.ABOUT THE BLASTSOne bomb ripped apart Air India Flight 182 - Kanishka - as it approached the coast of Ireland, killing everyone on board.The second bomb went off at Japan's Narita airport, killing 2 baggage handlers as they were transferring cargo to another Air India plane.Also read | 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing: Inderjit Singh Reyat released from Canadian prisonThere was a crackdown on Sikh militants in the wake of the blasts. It is believed that the perpetrators of these blasts were allegedly keen to avenge the Golden Temple operation.Reyat was employed as a mechanic in western Canada and bought dynamite, batteries and other equipments used to manufacture bombs.2 OTHERS ACQUITTED DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCETwo others, allegedly co-conspirators, were acquitted due to lack of evidence and, if the prosecutors are to be believed, due to Reyat's perjury.

Saloni Tandon

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

India Women keeper Sushma Verma offered DSP post by HP govt

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/india-women-s-cricket-team-s-sushma-verma-offered-dsp-post-by-hp-government/story-ocHqpk2gZ3ifW5XXnf8O1N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

India's women's team wicketkeeper Sushma Verma has been offered the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Himachal Pradesh government. CM Virbhadra Singh made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the state was "proud of her achievement in the international cricket arena". Sushma, who hails from Shimla, had 15 dismissals, the most by a keeper in this women's World Cup.

The Himachal Pradesh government has offered the post of DSP to Indian women?s cricket team wicketkeeper Sushma Verma after the side?s very impressive outing at the ICC Women?s World Cup.India lost to England by nine runs in the final at the Lord?s on Sunday.In a statement released in?Shimla on?Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh said, ?Being proud of her achievement in the international cricket arena, the state government has offered the post of deputy superintendent to Sushma Verma.?Hailing from Himri Panchayat in Shimla, Sushma played a match-winning knock against Pakistan during the group stages of the World Cup.The India wicketkeeper played the best knock of her career, a vital effort to set up the victory over the rivals. Promoted to No 7, the 24-year-old scored a 35-ball 33 and raised a crucial 34-run stand with Jhulan Goswami to help India recover from 111/6 to 169/9.India went on to beat Pakistan by 95 runs, their third win on the trot.On Monday, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh offered a job in the Punjab Police to Indian women?s team star Harmanpreet Kaur following her stellar performance in the World Cup.Amrinder posted a congratulatory message on Twitter where he offered the post of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to Kaur if she so desired to join the police force.

Anmol Sharma

31 Dec 2016,Saturday

Kohli named India's Sportsperson of 2016 in India Today poll

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-online-poll-sportsperson-of-the-year-virat-kohli/1/846267.html

Virat Kohli was named India's Sportsperson of the Year 2016 in a recent poll conducted by India Today, after he received the highest votes (44.18%). Olympics silver medallist shuttler PV Sindhu beat Ravichandran Ashwin (13.83%) for the second place with 31.51% of the votes. Deepa Malik, Sakshi Malik and Devendra Jhajharia completed the list of top-six athletes.

Test captain Virat Kohli has emerged as India's Sportsperson of the Year 2016 in a poll conducted by India Today. Kohli, with 44.18% votes, pipped badminton ace PV Sindhu (31.51%) for the top spot while star all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin came third with 13.83% of the votes.Even though Kohli won the poll this year, all the six sportspersons who were a part of this poll were winners in their own rights. Paralympian Deepa Malik, wrestler Sakshi Malik and Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia completed the list of athletes.Let's take a look at what these six sports stars achieved in 2016.VIRAT KOHLI (44.18%)Virat Kohli surely made 2016 a year to remember. Seldom has anyone ever seen a batsman dominate world cricket like he has done. Kohli treated himself to 2,595 runs in 41 international innings this year to go along with 973 runs in the Indian Premier League. (Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin rule on field)On top of that, he lead the Indian Test team to series wins against West Indies, New Zealand and England and he single-handedly powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to the final of the IPL this season.PV SINDHU (31.51%)(Reuters Photo)Sindhu achieved what no other woman from India managed at the Rio Olympics this year. The shuttler from Hyderabad put on the performance of a lifetime and walked away with the silver medal from the Rio Games in August. (Women make India proud at Rio Olympics)She became the first ever Indian woman to reach the women's singles badminton final at the Olympics. Sindhu went down fighting in the summit clash to the eventual gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 to finish runner-up.RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (13.83%)(Reuters Photo)Ashwin broke so many records this year that even he would have a tough time remembering them. For the second year running, Ashwin finished as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 72 scalps along with 612 runs 12 matches.Ashwin's metamorphosis from a defensive bowler to an attacker happened under Kohli and in this year in particular. The eight five-fors and three 10-wicket hauls in this year's Test matches placed him at the cusp of being quickest bowler to 250 Test wickets. His performances helped him bag the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award and the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year in 2016.DEEPA MALIK (4.05%)Paralympian Deepa Malik bagged the Silver medal in the Women's Shot Put F53 event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics Games, clinching the medal with a personal best throw of 4.61 meters. Deepa also became the first Indian female medallist in the history of the Paralympic Games. (Deepa Malik elated after winning Silver at Rio Paralympics)Seven broken vertebrae and frequent MRI scans in the absence of titanium plates could not stop her from taking to throwing the javelin in 2006. Then it became the shot put, the event that has given her Paralympic glory in Rio.Having won sporting laurels at the international stage for close to a decade, the only medal missing from her repertoire was the Paralympic one. And at Rio, she has fulfilled her dream. Besides that she has also won medals in swimming at international competitions, holds the Asian record in javelin throw, and also has World Championships silver medals in shot put and discus in 2011.#1month ago and Deepa Malik made history by becoming India's first ever female #Paralympics medallist! #Rio2016https://t.co/GQYiZGy5LXSAKSHI MALIK (3.37%)Sakshi Malik ended India's agonising wait for a medal at the Rio Olympics by clinching the Bronze in the 58kg category, pulling off a sensational 8-5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the play-off bout.The 23-year-old from Rohtak became only the fourth woman athlete from India to win an Olympic medal as she earned the dramatic win after falling behind 0-5 in the do-or-die bout. Her victory brought cheers to the Indian contingent that had endured agonising 11 days without a medal.DEVENDRA JHAJHARIA (3.04%)India's Devendra Jhajharia bettered his own world record to win Gold in the men's javelin throw F46 event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Aarushi Maheshwari

13 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Farmers will fire at BJP govt under Opposition: Cong leader

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/madhya-pradesh-dilip-mishra-congress-leader-farmers-fire-bullets-government/1/976823.html

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Dilip Mishra said farmers will fire bullets at the BJP-led government under fellow Congress leader Ajay Singh. His tributes to the farmers killed in police firing come with this promise, he said. Claiming the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government "killed democracy" and "Pradesh's farmers," Mishra added, "Madhya Pradesh's public will also fire at the government."

As the political atmosphere continues to be tense in Madhya Pradesh following violent agitation by farmers, a Congress leader has added fuel to fire by saying that farmers will now fire back bullets on the BJP government in the state under the leadership of Pradesh Congress.In a provocative speech, Congress leader Dilip Mishra said under the leadership of Madhya Pradesh Opposition leader Ajay Singh, farmers of Satna district will fire on the state government."Under Rahul bhaiya's leadership, honourable Ajay Singh's leadership, we pay our tributes to the farmers (who died in police firing). Our tribute is with a promise that under Opposition leader Rahul bhaiya's leadership the time has come that farmers of Satna district will also fire at the government," Mishra said.Alleging that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government wants to kill democracy openly, he said, "I appeal through this meeting that those who killed democracy, those who killed Pradesh's farmers and fired at them, Madhya Pradesh's public will also fire at the government".Ajay Singh, also known as Rahul bhaiyya, is a close confidant of senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, and is the Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.Earlier also, few Congress leaders came under fire for inciting violence in Mandsaur during the protests. Congress leader DP Dhakar was caught on camera telling the youth to set any vehicle they come across on fire, to have the courage to face anything that comes their way and not to be scared of the police.  Farmers have been staging a protest in Madhya Pradesh demanding better prices for their produce and also a waiver on loan repayments. The Mandsaur-Neemuch region, about 300 km from the state capital Bhopal, became the nerve centre of the gathering storm of farmer distress. Later, protests spread to some other parts of the state.In Mandsaur, five persons were killed in police firing during a farmers' protest on June 6.To placate agitated farmers in the aftermath of the police firing, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had sat on a fast on Saturday which ended the next day.Also read:Madhya Pradesh: Mandsaur farmers, traders say demonetisation doomed us

Ankur Vyas

02 Mar 2017,Thursday

RSS leader announces ?1 cr bounty on Kerala CM's head

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rss-leader-rs-1-crore-bounty-kerala-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-head/1/894966.html

Holding Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan responsible for the killings of RSS members, a Madhya Pradesh RSS leader has announced a bounty of ?1 crore on his head. Dr Chandrawat said he would even sell his property if he had to give the reward for Vijayan's head. Notably, as many as eight BJP-RSS members have been murdered in Kerala since 2016.

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader from Madhya Pradesh has held Kerala Chief Minister and senior Left leader Pinarayi Vijayan responsible for the killing of its members in the state and has announced a reward of Rs one crore for his head.Dr Chandrawat, the RSS Pramukh in Ujjain, said he would even sell his property if he has to give the reward for Vijayan's head. The remarks were made in the presence of MP Chintamani Malviya and MLA Mohan Yadav during an event in Ujjain.Kerala has always witnessed political murders, where the RSS-BJP and the CPM have lost several of their cadres. Last month, the death of BJP leader Santhosh was the eighth murder to have taken place after the Vijayan government took over in May, 2016.The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of the BJP.Last week, Vijayan had said right-wing organisations, including the RSS, have been trying to divide the country for the last several years. "The RSS has adopted the organisational structure of Mussolini and the ideology of Hitler. The two dictators had terrorised the world," he had said.Vijayan said Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was a weapon in the hands of the RSS. The assassination was the result of a conspiracy, he alleged."In India, the RSS has now identified Muslims, Christians and Communists as their internal enemies and were carrying out attacks to eliminate them," Vijayan had said.

Aarushi Maheshwari

29 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Afghan national booked after heroin found in rectum

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/afghan-national-drug-trafficking-kabul-delhi-flight-safjardung-hospital/1/915224.html

A 19-year-old Afghan national was booked on Tuesday after doctors at a Delhi hospital found seven heroin capsules inside his rectum. The accused, Mahammadi Hamid, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in an unconscious state after falling ill during a flight. He has not been arrested as he remains unconscious.n

An Afghan national who had fallen ill on board a flight from Kabul from Delhi was booked on Tuesday after doctors at the Safdurjung Hospital found Heroin capsules stuffed in his rectum.The accused, Mahammadi Hamid, 19, had landed at the Indira Gandhi International airport in an unconscious state and was admitted to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. He was later shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition.Police said the seven capsules found from his rectum weighed 68 gm. The accused has not been arrested as he is still in unconscious.Police said drug mules are using this method to smuggle contraband on a frequent basis. In November last year, another Afghan national had fallen ill on a flight. Drugs worth over Rs 2 crore were found stuffed in his stomach and rectum.

Tarun Khanna

14 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Work on world?s largest Hindu temple to begin in 2017

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/viraat-ramayan-mandir-bihar-angkor-wat-cambodia-bihar-holi-worlds-largest-hindu-temple/1/834039.html

Patna-based Mahavir Mandir Trust has asserted that construction of the Viraat Ramayan Mandir? which it claims will be the world's largest Hindu temple? will begin in 2017 after Holi. "We modified our original plan after Cambodia raised objection to our Viraat Ramayan Mandir, saying it is a replica of Angkor Wat," the Trust said.

Work is set to start soon to build what could well be the world's largest Hindu temple -- in Bihar.Those behind the idea say no more hurdles are left for the construction to begin after Holi festival next year, now that the original plan was modified following objections from the Cambodian government."We modified our original plan after Cambodia raised objection to our Viraat Ramayan Mandir, saying it is a replica of Angkor Wat," said Acharya Kishore Kunal of the Patna-based Mahavir Mandir Trust."We are set to start work after Holi, which will be an auspicious time," he said.A former Indian Police Service officer, Kunal said the design or architecture of the proposed temple will have nothing to do with Angkor Wat, visited by millions every year.Also read: Cambodia's protest hinders Virat Ramayan Mandir construction in BiharThe Cambodian temple complex was built in the 12th century during king Suryavarman's rule and is now a Unesco World Heritage site.The proposed temple will come up over 165 acres at Janki Nagar near Kesaria in West Champaran district, about 150 km from Patna. It will cost over Rs 200 crore in the first phase.That is when the Ramayan Mandir and a Shiv and Mahavir temple each would be built.HIGH OCTANGULAR SPIRESIts main attraction will be its 405-feet-high octangular spires. It will be taller than the Angkor Wat temple, which is 215 feet high. The complex will comprise 18 temples.It will have a Shiva Linga, 44 feet tall and 33 feet in circumference -- proposed to be the tallest in the world.Also read: Angkor Wat shrine inspired Bihar temple on Cambodian radar Kunal said when work on the temple was to start last year, the Cambodian government raised objections with New Delhi, saying it was a copy of Angkor Wat. Kunal and his team then re-exmained their plan. The modified plan was sent to Phnom Penh last year and again early this year through the Ministry of External Affairs.The Cambodian embassy in New Delhi reportedly indicated that in case of any objection, it will suggest modifications. NO RESPONSE FROM CAMBODIAN EMBASSY"I have been informed by our government that there is no response from the Cambodian embassy," Kunal said. "So, a decision has been taken to start the construction work."He said the temple design has been influenced by over a dozen famous temples in India and abroad, particularly Thailand and Indonesia.

Mansha Mahajan

26 Mar 2017,Sunday

What are the new rules under the Finance Bill?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/finance-bill-2017-income-tax-arun-jaitley-it-raid-all-you-need-to-know/1/912688.html

The Finance Bill 2017, which has been passed by the Lok Sabha, comes with a number of amendments, including imposing a limit of ?2 lakh on cash transactions. The Bill also makes Aadhaar mandatory for filing Income Tax returns and for getting a PAN. Further, the Bill enables Income Tax officers to raid homes without providing any reason.

The controverisal Finance Bill of 2017, that was introduced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitely as a Money Bill in the Lok Sabha, and gotten it passed with the majority the Bharatiya Janata Party enjoys in the lower house, was reintroduced today after the Rajya Sabha recommended five amendments to it. As predicted by experts, the Lok Sabha rejected the amendments suggested by the upper house and passed the bill in its original form.  The Lok Sabha introduced by Jaitley was strongly opposed by the opposition parties of RSP, TMC and BJD. The Opposition has termed the introduction of the amendments as "back-door" legislating and taking away right of Parliament to frame laws.Jaitley defended the amendments with the argument that they were all "incidental provisions" to the Finance Bill. He said the amendment is made to provide for uniform service conditions to its member judges. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had overruled the Opposition's objections, saying that rules permit "non-taxation proposals" to be included in the Finance Bill. "Incidental provisions can be made. That is why, keeping in view that rule 219 does not specifically bar inclusion of non-taxation proposals in a Finance Bill, I rule out the Point of Order," Mahajan had said while rejecting the objection moved by NK Premachandran (RSP). Here are a few things you should know about the Finance Bill, 2017:You can read more about the Finance Bill, 2017 here. || Read more ||Aadhaar must, transaction cap at Rs 2 lakh, electoral funding in cheques: Govt's 40 steps to curb corruptionAadhaar mandatory for filing I-T returns, applying for PAN cardFrom DailyO: Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill, 2017 - this is why we need to freak outUnion Budget 2017-18: Income Tax rate halved to 5 per cent for Rs 2.5-5 lakh slab

Arshiya Chopra

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Thank You India: Pak couple after their toddler's surgery

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/thank-you-india-says-pakistani-couple-after-successful-surgery-of-their-toddler/story-MFPFUttKIy2flZq7FFqzNK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

After successful heart surgery of their four-month-old son in a Noida-based hospital, a Pakistani couple expressed their gratitude towards India and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The couple said, "Thank You India. Thank you for everything," adding, "Minister Swaraj made a personal intervention in our case and ensured that we receive our visa."

Overwhelmed by the support extended by the Indian government and medical staff of a Noida-based hospital, Pakistani couple Kanwal Siddiq and Anam Siddiq bid a teary farewell to India after their four and a half months old son Rohaan recovered from a complex heart surgery.The Lahore-based couple will take a flight back home on Tuesday evening after a month long stay in India, which was made possible after multiple interventions by the minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj. At a time when hostilities and skirmishes on the Line of Control (LoC) have strained bilateral ties between the nuclear neighbours, it has got increasingly difficult for residents to obtain visa to travel to each other?s countries.?Thank You India. Thank you for everything. The past one month has been a spiritual and emotional journey for us. There was a time when we feared losing our son. I simply can?t express how happy I am to see him fully recovered and smiling,? a teary-eyed Kanwal said.Kanwal thanked Swaraj for helping them secure medical visas. He had taken to micro-blogging site Twitter to express his angst over being denied permit to travel to India.?Minister Swaraj made a personal intervention in our case and ensured that we receive our visa. I could even go as far as to say that it is the big heart of Sushma Swaraj that his pumping blood into Rohaan?s (his son) veins,? Kanwal said.Pakistani couple Kanwal Siddiq and Anam with their son Rohaan. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT Photo) A civil engineer by profession, Kanwal (32) arrived at Jaypee Hospital in Noida?s Sector 132 on June 12 after doctors in Pakistan told him that Rohaan has a hole in his heart. ?When doctors in Pakistan told me rare condition that Rohaan had been diagnosed with, I frantically started looking for medical help in UAE and other countries. But I?d heard a lot of good things about Indian doctors and thus, with the help of Indian diplomats, I secured visas to travel to the country,? Siddiq said.?Rohaan had a hole in his heart and the Aorta and pulmonary arteries were not positioned as they are in a normal human body. Due to this condition, his heart was pumping blood sans oxygen and his body was turning blue. He was also suffering from continuous bouts of pneumonia,? Dr Rajesh Sharma, director, paediatric cardiac surgery department, Jaypee Hospital, said.Doctors began an exhaustive 5-hour surgery on June 14 where his condition was treated with Arterial Switch with VSD closure.?In this surgery, the AORTA and Pulmonary arteries were removed from their place and adjusted to their right place. Post-surgery, the baby was shifted to the ICU and was put on ventilator support. Now, he is fully recovered,? Sharma said.Though the Siddiqs don?t have much hope of travelling to India again anytime soon owing to the prevailing climate of hostility between the neighbours, Kanwal said their month-long has given them spiritual strength.?Now, I want to dedicate my life towards raising awareness for a healthy heart. I want to enlighten more and more people on the need to take care of one?s heart from an early age. I also wish to form an organisation in Lahore to take my cause forward,? Kanwal said.

Rini Sinha

02 Apr 2017,Sunday

Logon ka kaam hai kehna: Sonakshi Sinha on marriage rumours

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sonakshi-sinha-boyfriend-bunty-sajdeh-marriage/1/918171.html

Actress Sonakshi Sinha, while reacting to reports of her getting married to rumoured boyfriend Bunty Sajdeh, said, "Let people talk...log toh kahenge...logon ka kaam hai kehna." She added that she doesn't even know what type of guy she would like to get married to. The rumoured couple were recently spotted together at the screening of the Anushka Sharma starrer 'Phillauri'.

The gossip mills have been churning out stories about Sonakshi Sinha and Bunty Sajdeh's relationship for years now. Their growing proximity and public appearances spoke louder than words, and reports even suggested that the two were likely to tie the knot soon. However, in a recent interview with The Times of India, Sonakshi has refuted the rumours."Marriage is not on the cards anytime soon. In fact, I don't even know what kind of guy I'd like to get married to. Let people talk...log toh kahenge...logon ka kaam hai kehna," she said.Recently, there were reports of trouble in paradise and it was being said that a high-spirited Sonakshi had let it slip that she was single at the Badrinath Ki Dulhania success bash. However, the two quashed all speculation when they were clicked dining together. The rumoured couple also made an entry together at the screening of Anushka Sharma's Phillauri.

Mansha Mahajan

18 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Government assessing how to bring Vijay Mallya back

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/government-assessing-options-to-bring-mallya-back/1/932066.html

The government is assessing how to bring liquor baron Vijay Mallya back to India and start judicial proceedings against him, Union Minister Santosh Gangwar said. The government will "leave no stone unturned" to bring to justice anyone indulging in financial irregularities, he stated. Mallya, who was arrested in London on Tuesday, was granted bail within three hours of his arrest.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The government is assessing how to bring Vijay Mallya back to India and start judicial proceedings against him, Union Minister Santosh Gangwar said today on a day when the defaulter businessman was arrested in London and released later on bail. "We are now assessing the facts (as to) how we can bring him back into the country and start judicial proceedings against him," he told reporters here. The government, he said, will leave no stone unturned to bring to justice anyone indulging in financial irregularities. "During Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Nodi had talked about bringing black money back... and of strong steps against economic offenders," he said. With Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly taking up Mallyas extradition with the British Prime Minister during her recent visit, Minister of State for Finance Gangwar said loans to the controversial liquor tycoon were granted by public banks during the previous UPA regime. Mallya, 61, who has been pursued by India over unpaid loans tied to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, was arrested in London, but granted bail today. Since Mallya left the country, the government has been looking at steps to bring him back, he said. "We will not take any such step which could make it appear that we are going against law, and we will not leave any offender who falls under Indian law," Gangwar pointed out. The government has taken steps to recover the loans and "what happened today is part of that move".

Chhavi Tyagi

05 May 2017,Friday

Nirbhaya gangrape convicts to file review petition in SC

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nirbhaya-gangrape-convicts-file-review-petition-supreme-court/1/946475.html

After the Supreme Court upheld death penalty to four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case, the convicts' lawyer said, "We will file review petition after reading the order." Alleging that the human rights of the convicts have been neglected, he added, "Justice is not done... You cannot give a death sentence to anyone for a message to the nation."

After being awarded death sentence, the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case will soon file a review petition in the Supreme Court.Advocate AP Singh, who fought for the convicts, alleged that the human rights of the convicts have been neglected."Justice is not done. We will file review petition after reading the order. You cannot give a death sentence to anyone for a message to the nation," he told reporters.He said the meaning of punishment is improvement and there is a right to live. "In this, the human rights have been neglected, Mahatma Gandhi's ideology has been neglected as this is violence," Singh said.Samaaj mein message dene ke liye kisi ko phansi nahi de sakte, human rights ki dhajiyaan udd gayi: AP Singh, Lawyer of convicts #Nirbhayapic.twitter.com/DKMVXBwiznAdvocate M L Sharma, who also represented the convicts, had said they should be given a chance to reform. They also raised questions about the evidence collected by the police in the matter.The trial court had awarded death penalty to the four convicts in the December 16, 2012 sensational gangrape and murder case. Prime accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in his cell in Tihar jail in March 2013 and proceedings against him were abated.Also read:Nirbhaya gangrape case: Supreme Court decides the 4 convicts will hang

Chhavi Tyagi

06 Mar 2017,Monday

World's oldest aircraft carrier 'INS Viraat' retires

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ins-viraat-oldest-aircraft-carrier-retires-today/1/897606.html

INS Viraat, which holds a Guinness world record for being the oldest surviving aircraft carrier in the world, retired from service on Monday. INS Viraat was first commissioned in the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987, after the Indian government bought it for ?433 crore. Before 1987, the aircraft carrier had served the United Kingdom's Royal Navy for 27 years.

INS Viraat, Indian Navy's flagship aircraft carrier, will retire from service today. The aircraft carrier which holds the Guinness Record for the oldest carrier in service was inducted into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987. The ship, famously known as the 'Grand Old Lady', was with the British Royal Navy since 1959 before the Indian government bought it for Rs 6.5 crore in 1987. ABOUT INS VIRAAT: It was known as HMS Hermes before being rechristened as INS Viraat. The motto of INS Viraat was 'Jalamev Yasya, Balmev Tasya' (meaning - One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful), which was first adopted by the great warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th century as the guiding principle of his naval-military strategy.It housed the fighters 'White Tigers' - the Sea Harriers of INAS 300, which were decomissioned in Goa in May 2016, anti-submarine aircraft Sea King MK42B, Sea King MK42C or Harpoons, SAR helicopter Chetan, besides ALH Dhruv and Russian twin rotor Kamov-31.INS Viraat played a major role in the Operation Jupiter in 1989 in Sri Lankan Peace Keeping operations, Operation Parakram in 2001-2002 when India and Pakistan were in a stand-off post-terror strikes on Indian Parliament, among others. Photo: Twitter/@indiannavyWith a full load displacement of 28,700 tonnes, the 226.5 metres long and 48.78 metres wide ship was manned by 150 officers and 1,500 sailors.While the final fate of the warship is yet to be decided, the Andhra Pradesh government had announced that it will turn the warship into a museum. As per the earlier reports, talks were underway with the Andhra Pradesh government to convert INS Viraat, into a luxury hotel-cum-museum after its decommissioning. The carrier is expected to berth on the coast of Visakhapatnam by mid-2017.At present, INS Vikramaditya is the only serving aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy and the second one, named Vikrant, is under construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd.WATCH: The story of Indian Navy's largest warship INS VikramadityaALSO READ: INS Viraat: World's oldest warship is value for money

Aarushi Maheshwari

13 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Decomposed body of actress found in Mumbai, murder suspected

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-body-of-a-struggling-model-found-in-amboli/1/977288.html

The decomposing body of struggling actress Kritika Chaudhary was found in her apartment in Mumbai on Monday, the police said. The police believe the 23-year-old, who had worked in Kangana Ranaut-starrer Rajjo and several Balaji production TV shows, was allegedly murdered 3-4 days ago. Her room was found locked from the outside while the AC was switched on.

A 23-year-old model and actor was found dead in her Andheri West apartment in Mumbai. According to reports, Kritika Chaudhary, a resident of Bhairavnath SRA society, was allegedly murdered by unknown persons around 3-4 days ago. Kritika Choudhary, a resident of Haridwar, was a struggling actress in the film industry. Kritika had worked in Kangana Ranaut-starrer 'Rajjo'. She had also worked in few Balaji production TV serials.The incident came to light at around 3:45 pm on Monday when Kritika Choudhary's neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from her flat and informed the police. According to the police, her room was locked from outside. A police officer said, "We are investigating. The door was locked from outside." The Mumbai Police has registered a murder case under section 302 under IPC.Police found her body in a decomposed state and the air-conditioner of the room was on.A police officer said, "The AC of the room was on so that smell could not come out soon. We believe she was murdered three to four days ago." The model's body has been sent for post-mortem. Further details are awaited.

Chhavi Tyagi

23 Dec 2016,Friday

AAP's Goa CM candidate summoned by ACB in land case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/elvis-gomes-aap-goa-cm-candidate-arvind-kejriwal/1/841397.html

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has summoned Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate for Goa Assembly elections, Elvis Gomes, in connection with a 2011 land case. Former Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar has been summoned by the ACB for the same case along with Gomes. Both the leaders have been asked to appear before the agency on or before December 27.

The Aam Aadmi Party's Goa chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes alongwith former minister Nilkant Halankar have been summoned by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with a housing scam. Both the leaders have been asked to appear before the agency by December 27.ACB officials said that Gomes had implemented orders to sell land to a private builder in 2011.From  India  Today  magazine: The audacity of AAPGomes has served as Goa's Inspector General of Prison in the past.

Sonu Kumari

24 Jul 2017,Monday

18-month-old Mumbai girl dies after being hit by a car

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/18-month-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-car-in-santacruz/story-k5pd4Psgu0zQUVctNH5ciP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An 18-month-old girl reportedly died on Saturday after a car hit her in Mumbai's Santacruz (West) when she was crossing the road with her mother. The girl was admitted to a hospital for head injuries but was declared dead on admission. The driver was arrested for allegedly causing death due to negligence and sent to judicial custody.

An 18-month-old girl was killed while crossing the road with her mother after a car knocked her down in Santacruz (West) on Saturday. The driver has been arrested and booked for causing death due to negligence.According to the Santacruz police, the incident took place on the southbound stretch of Link Road near Ramkrishna Mission Hospital at around 5pm. The girl, Pooja Pawar, was walking next to her mother Sonabai Pawar when the car moving from Santacruz towards Khar hit her.The girl suffered head injuries and was taken to Bhabha Hospital but was declared dead on admission. Her father Shankar Pawar, 22, sells toys on the road. The police arrested the driver, Dharmendra Mishra, 45, from the spot. He is a driver by profession. His employer?s daughters were in the car.The Pawars have been living on the footpath in Khar (West) for several years and sell toys and flowers for a living. The Santacruz police booked Mishra under sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving)?of the Indian Penal Code. He was not driving under the influence of alcohol. He was produced before a magistrate court and sent to judicial custody.READHit-and-run on Mumbai-Pune expressway: 50-year-old man held from Ratnagiri24-year-old biker killed in hit-and-run in Mumbai

Tarun Khanna

27 Mar 2017,Monday

Govt can't make Aadhaar mandatory for welfare schemes: SC

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aadhaar-no-mandatory-welfare-schemes-supreme-court/1/913598.html

The Supreme Court on Monday said that the Aadhaar card can't be made mandatory by the government for extending the benefits of its welfare schemes to the people. The top court, however, also said that the government cannot be stopped from using Aadhaar in other schemes like the opening of bank accounts.

The Supreme Court today said the Aadhaar card can't be made mandatory by the government for extending the benefits of its welfare schemes to the people.The apex court, however, said the government cannot be stopped from using Aadhaar - or the the unique identification number - in other schemes like the opening of bank accounts.Last week, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the Aadhaar card may become the only identity card in future, and will be mandatory for filing of Income Tax returns to curb tax evasion and frauds.Replying to the debate on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha, Jaitley said that Aadhaar may become the only card in future replacing all other types of identity cards such as Voter ID and PAN cards.The government has also said the Aadhaar card is a must for anyone seeking to obtain or renew a driver's license, a new telephone number as well as for existing connections to stay operational after February 2018. In a controversial decision, it has also been mandated for children to get their mid-day meals and for 11 other government schemes.The critics of Aadhaar claim the government is violating a Supreme Court order of October 2015 which specified that the Universal Identification Document cannot be made mandatory for government schemes. The Supreme Court today said it will set up a seven-judge bench to hear the pleas challenging Aadhaar. "But right now, it is not possible," a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said.Senior counsel Shyam Divan had challenged a spare of orders issued by the government making Aadhaar mandatory to access benefits under various schemes. 

Vani Vivek

14 May 2017,Sunday

Indian-origin doctor had warned against global ransomware

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-origin-doc-warned-against-uk-health-service-cyber-hack/1/953303.html

Krishna Chinthapalli, an Indian-origin doctor in London, had warned against the type of ransomware attack which hit 99 countries on Friday. He had published an article just two days before the attack about the vulnerability of Britain's National Health Service to ransomware. "We should be prepared: more hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year," he wrote.

(Eds: Updating with additional inputs) From Aditi Khanna London, May 13 (PTI) An Indian-origin doctor based in London had warned against the cyber-hack of the UKs state-run National Health Service just days before it crippled the countrys network. Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, had said an increasing number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomeware attacks in an article on the vulnerability of the NHS network in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, two days before the major cyber hack of the National Health Service (NHS) system on Friday. He had highlighted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and started to encrypt sensitive files. "Fortunately, the hospitals daily data backup had just been completed. The IT director admitted that they were very lucky, saying, Timing absolutely was everything for us," Chinthapalli wrote. "We should be prepared: more hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year," he wrote. The revelation came as UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed today that as many as 48 NHS trusts had been affected by the large-scale cyber-hack by an international criminal gang wreaked havoc around the country. After chairing an emergency meeting of the COBRA committee, Rudd said that all but 6 trusts were now back to normal. Confirming that 97 per cent of hospitals were "back to normal", she said, "This is a virus that attacked Windows platforms. The fact is the NHS has fallen victim to this." The Opposition Liberal Democrat and Labour parties have both demanded an inquiry into the cyber-attack. Patients of the state-funded country-wide service are still facing days of chaos as appointments and surgeries were cancelled after NHS organisations from London to Scotland were hit in the "ransomware" attack yesterday. NHS Digital said the impact of the cyberattack could continue. "The situation is changing and impacting organisations in a range of different ways," a spokesperson said. Ciaran Martin, who leads the UKs National Cyber Security Centre, said his team was doing everything in their power to get "vital services" back up and running. "We are very aware that attacks on critical services such as the NHS have a massive impact on individuals and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to help them restore these vital services," he said. "Its important to understand that cyber attacks can be different from other forms of crime in that their sometimes highly technical and anonymous nature means it can take some time to understand how it worked, who was behind it and what the impact is," he told the BBC. Critically ill patients are being diverted to unaffected hospitals as computer systems failed in A&E units and doctors were locked out of test results, X-rays and patient records. NHS England said patients needing emergency treatment should go to Accidents & Emergency (A&E) or access emergency services as they normally would. However, there have been some reports of ambulances being diverted from affected hospitals and individual NHS trusts have asked registered patients not to attend unless it is urgent. Londons Barts Health NHS Trust, the largest trust in the UK, cancelled all outpatient appointments at its five hospitals today. The NHS has not been affected in Wales and Northern Ireland. The assault is part of an attack that has affected organisations in more than 70 countries, including the United States, China, Russia and Spain, disrupting power and telephone companies. Gangs are thought to have used tools stolen from US spies and dumped online by hackers linked to Russia. "This is not targeted at the NHS, its an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected," British Prime Minister Theresa May said. "The National Cyber Security Centre is working closely with NHS Digital to ensure they support the organisations concerned and that they protect patient safety. We are not aware of any evidence that patient data has been compromised," she said. The attack came after warnings of NHS vulnerability, with cybersecurity allegedly neglected despite a series of attempted hacks. Ransomware programmes, which are sent by email and spread swiftly, can be bought on the dark web with sellers negotiating a percentage of the takings. "We will be advising NHS trusts to modernise their platforms," UK home secretary Amber Rudd said. The malware used in the NHS attack is called WannaCry and attacks Windows operating systems. It encrypts files on a users computer, blocking them from view, before demanding money, via an on-screen message, to access them again. The demand is for a payment of 300 dollars in virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock the files.

Mansha Mahajan

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Techies start 'saveTCSplease' handle on Lucknow biz closure

http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/social-media-flooded-by-save-tcs-please-appeals/story-1ka6jeM478oLcwYuZOFPqL.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

IT major Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) decision to shift its Lucknow operations to Noida prompted techies associated with the organisation to create a Twitter account "@saveTCSplease". They have also urged CM Yogi Adityanath to save the establishment from closure. An application posted on the account sought Adityanath's intervention in the company?s decision that could affect 2,000 employees.

IT major Tata Consultancy Services? (TCS) decision to shift its Lucknow operations to Noida has taken social media by storm. Techies associated with the organisation here created a twitter account ? @saveTCSplease and urged chief minister Yogi Adityanath to save the establishment from closure. An application posted on the account (made on July 11 this year) sought the chief minister?s intervention in the company?s decision, which was likely to affect 2,000 employees including women. The three-page letter, also addressed to the Prime Minister?s Office, was re-tweeted around 112 times, got 55 comments and 98 likes. Read more:?TCS to wind up Lucknow operations, company says no job lossThe letter reads that, ?The company has an annual turnover of over one lakh crore and is not at all running in losses as it has shown to the state government. TCS is not investing anything in Prime Minister?s constituency?Varanasi as is being portrayed before the state government. In Varanasi, TCS is going to hire a building and will employ around 400 employees on ad-hoc basis.? Through the letter, the twitter user has also urged the CM to discuss the issue with TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan who completed his primary education from Lucknow. ?TCS is closing its office in Lucknow. Please re-tweet max so that this tweet reaches the officials concerned,? reads another post. Read more:?TCS miss Q1 estimates, net profit falls 5.9% to Rs 5,945 crore?What is happening Yogi sir, Lucknow is losing a big corporate house. Please look into this,? another tweet appealed to CM, demanding his intervention. ?Why would TCS close a 30-year-old office in Lucknow. Do people not matter to you anymore?? reads a tweet addressed to Ratan Tata.

Chhavi Tyagi

07 Mar 2017,Tuesday

India's longest cable-bridge inaugurated in Gujarat

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pm-narendra-modi-gujarat-tour-bharuch-assembly-election/1/898448.html

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated India's longest cable-bridge in Bharuch, Gujarat, which is 1,344 metres long and 22.8 metres wide. The bridge, built by Larsen and Toubro on river Narmada, has 216 cables of 25-40 metres length. The ?379 crore project has a 17.4-metre wide four-lane road, a three-metre wide footpath, and over 400 LED lights.

After spending three days in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi campaigning for the crucial Assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day tour of his home state Gujarat starting today. During his visit, PM Modi will be inaugurating several projects apart from a national convention of women sarpanch on the occasion of International Women's Day.This will be PM Modi's tenth Gujarat visit since he took charge of the PM Office in May 2014. The PM's latest Gujarat tour assumes much political significance.THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:PM MODI'S 2-DAY GUJARAT ITINERARYSome pictures of the bridge that will be inaugurated tomorrow in Bharuch, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/pIn4QY4A0aWATCH: PM Modi's blitzkrieg in Varanasi: Sign of nervousness?ALSO READ:

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Indira Gandhi's name removed from Oxford India Centre

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indira-gandhi-s-name-dropped-from-oxford-centre/story-uoMXA4z51zJ2o3IHhqKzlJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's name has been removed from the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development which was named the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at its launch during the tenure of UPA government. The Centre was established by Somerville College in the University of Oxford in 2013 where Indira Gandhi studied Modern History in 1937.

A centre established by Somerville college in the University of Oxford in 2013 with a £3 million grant from India and named after Indira Gandhi has seen the name of the former prime minister dropped after the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014.The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) was named the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at its launch during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government. Gandhi, an alumnus of the college, studied Modern History there in 1937.The memorandum of understanding to set up the centre was signed in May 2013 after then minister for human resources development MM Pallam Raju visited the college. The Indian grant of £3 million was matched by the University of Oxford.An ?Education Brief? of the Indian government dated December 1, 2016 suggests the name was changed during the year. College officials, however, told Hindustan Times there had been no pressure or suggestion from New Delhi to change the name.  The brief states: ?The Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development (IGCSD), established at the College with Government of India providing seed money of Rs 25 crore   (GBP 3 million) ? has begun work. ?The Centre is now called Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD). The Centre would be housed in a new building on Oxford University?s Redcliff Observatory Quarter adjacent to Somerville College. The Centre would be fully established in time for the centenary celebrations of Smt Gandhi?s birth on November 19, 1917.? Asked about the change of name, Alice Prochaska, principal of the college, said: ?We have committed to use our ?best endeavours? to set up an ?inspirational research facility?, ie an Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development, in a building on our site, and we are using our best endeavours to achieve the funding for a building that will indeed house the Indira Gandhi Centre. ?The prestigious building is a long-term plan and if we achieve it, will be larger than only the IG Centre but will include the IG Centre.  The overall building could be named for the donor. While these plans are evolving, we are using the overarching name of the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development for the current activity, which includes the Indira Gandhi Scholars and programme.? Gandhi visited the college in 1971 to receive an honorary doctorate. In 2002, Congress president Sonia Gandhi presented a portrait of the former prime minister, which hangs alongside a painting of Margaret Thatcher, another alumnus of the college.  The centre with the new name is seen as part of ?An historic Oxford-India Partnership?. The college describes it thus: ?The OICSD advances India?s sustainable development by bringing different academic disciplines and sectors together.?It adds, ?We develop future leaders by supporting exceptional Indian scholars to study at Oxford; we carry out multidisciplinary research on sustainable nutrition, the environment and health; and we translate academic ideas to the ground.?In November 2016, the college celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Nashik-born Cornelia Sorabji (1866-1954), the first Indian woman student at Oxford who went on to become the first Indian woman lawyer in colonial India. 

Vani Vivek

25 Mar 2017,Saturday

Backing Stayzilla Founder like endorsing Mallya: K'taka Min

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/no-startups-vendors-above-law-karna-it-minister/1/912570.html

Commenting on the arrest of Stayzilla Co-founder Yogendra Vasupal over unpaid dues, Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge said, giving one-sided support to Vasupal is "like endorsing Vijay Mallya." Kharge clarified that his earlier tweet in which he intervened in the Stayzilla controversy was meant to help Vasupal, but only if he was on the right side of the law.

Shubhodeep Datta

23 Dec 2016,Friday

Rape victim's mother shot at in Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/mother-of-jamia-nagar-rape-victim-shot-at-was-being-threatened/story-djM3hcAYtyOa1eY4l578HM.html

A woman, whose minor daughter was allegedly gang-raped by four men, was shot at outside her house in Delhi?s Jamia Nagar on Friday. She was reportedly shot by a biker while she was on her way to a local hospital with her 16-year-old daughter. As per reports, the woman is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

A woman, whose 15-year-old daughter was allegedly gang raped by four men over a period of six months, was shot at in south east Delhi?s Jamia Nagar on Friday morning. The police are yet to nab the alleged rapists. The 47-year-old mother of the rape victim was reportedly shot at by a man who was riding pillion a motorcycle. They sped away after shooting her The woman was on her way to a local hospital with her daughter at the time of the incident. Locals alleged that four men, including a local builder against whom the teenager alleged rape, could be involved. The woman is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.Police officials said that the four accused in the rape case are absconding. Only one of them has been identified. Raids are being conducted at their possible hideouts. ?In Friday?s incident, the men who fired at the woman are not known and could be anybody. It is a matter of investigation to find out if the accused of these two cases are connected in anyway,? said DCP (southeast) Romil Baniya. The firing took place at around 8.45 am. A case of attempt to murder has been registered, police said. The president of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA), however, said that the builder involved in the rape forcefully entered the family?s house, shot at the mother and fled. The accused had allegedly been threatening the victim?s mother to withdraw the complaint. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal visited the victim at AIIMS and said the women?s panel will set up a committee to look into the incident.?It is very shocking that in the capital of this country a 15-year girl was gang-raped and then the accused in this case had the audacity to attack her again after 10-15 days of the incident. Apparently, he shot at her but the bullet hit the mother, who is the only person supporting the victim in the case,? said Maliwal.Police sources said that the victim was three weeks pregnant and broke the news to her mother in the second week of December. The mother then approached the police through an NGO. The police registered a case of rape against the accused only after local residents and NGO workers intervened.The teenager is a Class 9 student at a government school. She reportedly met the builder through her classmate, who is a common friend, police said.The accused allegedly made her MMS and started blackmailing her. He also threatened to upload it on social media websites if she told anyone. The accused, along with three other men, allegedly raped the victim in his flat over six months, police said.

Pragya Swastik

08 Feb 2017,Wednesday

No cash withdrawal limit from March 13: RBI

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/atm-cash-withdrawal-limit-new-rule/1/877778.html

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday announced that the cash withdrawal limit on savings accounts will be scrapped from March 13 this year. Further, the current limit of withdrawal fixed at ?24,000 per week will be raised to ?50,000 per week from February 20, the RBI added. The limits on bank withdrawals were placed after demonetisation. nn

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today said that the weekly withdrawal limit for savings account will be raised to Rs 50,000 from February. The top bank added that limitations on cash withdrawal, which was put in place after November 8, 2016 notes ban, would be removed  completely from March 13. At present, the weekly withdrawal limit for savings account is Rs 24,000. On January 30, the RBI had ended all curbs on withdrawals from Current Accounts, Cash Credit Accounts and Overdraft Accounts.Following demonetisation of old Rs 500/1000 notes on November 8, limits had been imposed on withdrawal of cash from banks as well as ATMs. The Reserve Bank cash withdrawal limit from ATMs was increased to Rs 4,500 per day from Rs 2,500 from January 1.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

No accurate govt data on illegal migrants: Kiren Rijiju

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-has-no-accurate-data-on-illegal-migrants-kiren-rijiju-tells-lok-sabha/story-CNNJRWtQWW9opvvfivFfbJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Central government has no accurate data on illegal migrants, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday in Lok Sabha. Pointing out that these people entered India in a "clandestine and surreptitious manner," he said it would be "naturally" impossible to exact official figures. "We have taken various steps to ensure we detect them...and then prosecute them," he added.

The government has no ?accurate data? regarding illegal migrants who have entered India, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju also said that any particular community cannot be ?branded? for having alleged links with terrorists and terrorism. ?We cannot say that,? he said during the Question Hour.He agreed that several illegal migrants have acquired documents to make their stay in the country legal.Responding to supplementaries, he said since these people have entered the country in a ?clandestine and surreptitious manner?, ?naturally? official figures would be impossible.The Centre has asked the states to set up special task forces in each of the districts for detection, identification and interception of illegal migrants.The states also have powers under the 1946 Foreigners Act to deport illegal migrants. Detention centres have also been set up for detaining suspected illegal migrants, pending their deportation.He said illegal migrants disturbed the demographic profile of certain areas and create problems.Responding to the issue of Rohingya refugees, he said they are concentrated in Jammu and Kashmir.When asked by opposition members whether government has set up ?concentration camps? for them, he said no concentration camps have been established by the government but the refugees themselves have concentrated themselves there.

Saloni Tandon

16 Feb 2017,Thursday

Ganguly meets visually-challenged Bangladesh cricketers

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/visually-challenged-bangladesh-cricketers-visit-eden-gardens/1/883826.html

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly interacted with visually-challenged Bangladeshi cricketers at an event hosted by the National Cricket Club at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. The players took a round of the stadium and clicked pictures with Ganguly, who is the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal. They were later presented mementos by the organisers.

Daisy Mowke

22 Jan 2017,Sunday

Advocate moves court to get 'LLB' dropped from 'Jolly LLB 2'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/akshay-kumar-jolly-llb-2-controversy-toilet-ek-prem-katha/1/863642.html

Advocate Ajaykumar S Waghmare has filed a petition at the Bombay High Court, asking that the word 'LLB' should be deleted from the title of Akshay Kumar's 'Jolly LLB 2'. He stated that it is an attempt to malign the reputation of the legal profession. He further said the trailer shows the characters playing cards and dancing in court premises.

Congratulations to Akshay Kumar's Jolly LLB 2 for joining the list of films to have offended people in this country.Advocate Ajaykumar S Waghmare has filed a petition at the Bombay High Court, asking that the word 'LLB' should be deleted from the Jolly LLB 2, the title of Akshay Kumar's upcoming film.According to a report in The Hindu, advocate Waghmare has stated in his petition that using the word LLB is a "deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of the Indian legal profession."ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar's fan cycles 1.6 km from Haridwar to meet his idolALSO READ: Airlift turns a year old. Here's why the film speaks to the Indian in all of usALSO WATCH: Jolly LLB 2 trailer reviewWaghmare's petition says that the characters in the film's trailer are shown to be playing cards and dancing in court premises which suggests that Akshay's film has no respect for the judicial profession, discipline and ethics. Waghmare has also asked the court to stop Jolly LLB 2's trailer from being played on social media and TV channels.Jolly LLB 2 revolves around the story of lawyer Jagdish Mishra (Akshay Kumar) who locks horns with a rival lawyer played by National Award-winning actor Annu Kapoor in a high-profile case. Much of Jolly LLB 2 is set within the premises of a court as is justified by the film's subject.WATCH JOLLY LLB 2 TRAILER HEREWaghmare's petition is likely to be heard at the Bombay High Court on January 24. The film is scheduled to release on February 10.Jolly LLB 2 is the second Akshay film from 2017 after Toilet: Ek Prem Katha which has offended somebody.In November last year, a group of saints in Mathura objected to the shooting of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha as the film's content was allegedly hurting the sentiments of the people of two villages Nandgaon and Barsana, where the film was being shot.

Shubhodeep Datta

28 Dec 2016,Wednesday

5 months after AIIMS doctor's suicide, murder case filed

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/five-months-after-suicide-murder-case-filed-in-aiims-doc-s-death/story-GTe0KRnIObKWZRO2eQICLP.html

Five months after the death of Sarvanan Ganeshan, a 26-year-old junior resident doctor of AIIMS, which was thought to be a suicide earlier, a murder case was registered last week in the case. Someone had forcefully injected a medicine in his right forearm and Ganeshan could not have done so, as he himself was right-handed, reports said.

A 26-year-old junior resident doctor of AIIMS who was found dead on July 10 in mysterious circumstances at his house in Gautam Nagar in South Delhi was possibly murdered.A murder case was registered on Saturday, over five months after police said Sarvanan Ganeshan had committed suicide by injecting a medicine in his right arm. Sources said the panel of doctors that had conducted his postmortem said it appeared to be a a case of murder and not suicide after which a case was registered. Ganeshan was doing his MD degree at AIIMS at that time.The report said the cannula through which the medicine was injected was fixed in the right forearm and as Ganeshan was right handed, it wouldn?t have been possible for him to do it himself. ?Doctors said he could not have possibly placed the cannula on the spot on which it was found. They said it appears someone injected the medicine forcefully,? a police source said.Sources said the bottle of medicine, suspected to be potassium chloride, was not found at the spot. ?If he injected on his own, then the bottle should have been on the spot. No such bottle was recovered by the investigative team. Also, the door of the flat was ajar and no suicide note was found at his flat. All this indicates that it may be a case of murder,? a police source said.Police said Ganeshan?s father had also moved a writ petition in the high court, pleading that the case be handed over to crime branch for investigation. The police said earlier they suspected it to be a case of suicide as there were no visible abrasions on his body.?Ganeshan?s father said he suspects murder. He told us that Ganeshan had no reason to commit suicide as he was doing very well for himself and was happy to have joined AIIMS. He said Ganeshan was not on any medicine and no prescription was found from his room,?a police officer said. He added, ?His father requested that the case be given to the crime branch. We have taken his statement into consideration and registered a case of murder. The case will be investigated on these lines.?DCP, South, Ishwar Singh, confirmed that a case of murder had been registered.Ganeshan had taken admission in MD at AIIMS 10 days before his body was found at his flat at Gautam Nagar. Police had earlier said he may have died of cardiac arrest due to overdose of a medicine that he injected.

Dishant Sharma

09 Feb 2017,Thursday

Miandad blames foreign coaches for Pak cricket's decline

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/javed-miandad-foreign-coaches-pakistans-decline/1/878583.html

Former Pakistani captain Javed Miandad has claimed that Pakistan cricket's decline has been due to the foreign coaches who have been employed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Miandad, who coached Pakistan thrice in 1999, 2000 and 2003/04, had given the PCB a comprehensive restructuring plan to solve Pakistan cricket's problems during his time as PCB's cricket director.

Javed Miandad has blamed foreign coaches employed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for bringing the national team on the brink of disaster.He also lashed out at the PCB's announcement that it would hold a two-day round table conference in Lahore in March with leading former captains and stalwarts to discuss and find solutions to Pakistan's cricket problems."No one has contacted me for this conference as yet I read about it in the newspapers in which my name also appeared as one of the invited players. But it makes no sense to have this conference with local players when the board is employing foreign coaches on heavy salaries," he said. (Pakistan cricket will stage a comeback, says Inzamam-ul-Haq)"These foreign coaches and support staff have caused damage to Pakistan cricket and brought it to this stage. So what is the purpose of now consulting local players," he said.Miandad, who also remained coach of the Pakistan team thrice in 1999, 2000 and 2003/04 after an illustrious career spanning 124 Tests and 233 one-day internationals felt the conference is being called just to fool the angry and upset fans and critics."It is ironic that when the board itself feels foreign coaches are the best solution for Pakistan cricket than they want to call us to give suggestions."Miandad is the third major player after Imran Khan and Rashid Latif to spurn the PCB invitation to attend the conference called by chairman Shaharyar Khan in Lahore on March 6 and 7.Miandad, who also worked as director cricket in the PCB in the past, said during his tenure he had given a comprehensive plan to the board on how to restructure Pakistan cricket but no one wanted to implement the suggestions. (Pakistan 'way behind' others in terms of fitness, fielding: Mickey Arthur)

Mansha Mahajan

19 Mar 2017,Sunday

Panel seeks probe into Kingfisher dues worth ?295 crore

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/par-panel-seeks-probe-into-kingfisher-airlines-dues-to-aai/1/906556.html

A parliamentary panel has sought a probe into Kingfisher Airlines' accumulation of high levels of dues to Airports Authority of India, which was in "violation of all existing rules". At the end of 2016, the airline owed dues worth nearly ?295 crore to AAI, which have been written off. Notably, Kingfisher Airlines was shut in 2012 due to financial troubles.

New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) A parliamentary panel today sought a probe into defunct Kingfisher Airlines allowed to accumulate high levels of dues to state-owned AAI, which was in "violation of all existing rules". Bogged down by financial woes, Kingfisher Airlines was closed down in 2012. The carrier was promoted by businessman Vijay Mallya, who is wanted by Indian authorities for loan default and other cases. At the end of December 2016, the airline owed dues worth Rs 294.69 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the amount has been written off. The national airports operator has also filed a legal suit against the carrier to recover the dues. Pulling up the AAI, the panel said it allowed the accumulation of dues to such a high level in violation of all the existing rules and procedures in practice. Besides, the committee has recommended that AAI may conduct an internal inquiry to "fix the responsibility of AAI officials for the accumulation of dues by Kingfisher Airlines". The recommendation has been made by the Department- related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report tabled in Parliament today. The report is on the Demand for Grants (2017-18) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Daisy Mowke

29 Jan 2017,Sunday

Sad getting linked to Sohail who I consider my brother: Huma

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jolly-llb-2-huma-qureshi-sohail-khan-link-up-affair/1/868696.html

Actress Huma Qureshi has said that it is sad getting linked to actor Sohail Khan who she considers her brother. She added that such rumours are unpleasant and ugly. Huma further said that she tries not to let these rumours get to her. Earlier, there were reports that Sohail and wife Seema Khan's marriage was in trouble because of Huma.

Huma Qureshi, who is gearing up for the release of Jolly LLB 2, has had her fair share of link-ups. Huma was first linked to her Gangs Of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap, and later to Salman Khan's brother Sohail Khan.ALSO READ: These photos of Huma Qureshi with Salman Khan's nephew Ahil will make your dayIt was being speculated that Sohail and Seema Khan's marriage was in trouble because of Huma. However, the actor says there was never any trurth to it, and she actually sees Sohail in a brotherly way. "Whenever something like this comes up, unpleasant, ugly, I just go to social media and I respond to it. Getting linked up to somebody who you consider your brother is a bit much I feel. It's really sad," Huma said.

Chhavi Tyagi

21 Jul 2017,Friday

Man throws 3-year-old daughter in canal to become 'tantrik'

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/faridabad-man-throws-daughter-in-canal-to-become-an-occultist/story-Oudyongvkv4p2mOERszzcI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A man threw his three-year-old daughter in a canal in Haryana's Faridabad to become a 'tantrik', the police claimed. While the man claimed that his daughter went missing on July 11 and filed a kidnapping complaint, the truth was later revealed when police scanned CCTV footage of the area. The man confessed to his crime after the police confronted him.

A three-year-old girl who had gone missing on July 11, was thrown into a canal by her father to become a tantrik, police have claimed. The child?s body was recovered from the canal in Faridabad the next day.The police had registered a case of kidnapping when Dheeraj Kumar of Pyali Chowk area under the Kotwali police station informed the police control room (PCR)?that his daughter had been kidnapped. Kumar told the police that he had taken his daughter to a nearby market on a scooter and later dropped her near home. He claimed that she had gone missing after this. The CCTV footage showed the man leaving with his daughter and returning alone.?We scanned CCTV footage in the area and got suspicious about him,? a police official investigating the case said. ?In the footage the girl was not with him when he returned. When we confronted him, he confessed to his crime,? the official said.He was arrested and produced in a court on Thursday which remanded him to one-day police custody. ?During questioning, Dheeraj said he wanted to get rid of his daughter Sonakshi to become a tantrik,? the police said. ?We sought his one-day police remand to know who advised him to take this step,? Ram Nath, in-charge, NIT-2 police post, said.Police said that Dheeraj Kumar (centre, sitting) confessed his crime when they quizzed him. (HT Photo) The girl had gone missing on July 11 and while the police were still investigating the case, a body was spotted at the canal in Sector 8. The body was brought to the BK Hospital where the family identified the child.The police, however, continued to investigate the abduction angle and scanned the CCTV footage for clues. It was in the footage that they saw Kumar taking his daughter out but returning alone. They then questioned the father who confessed that he had taken his daughter to the canal in Sector 8 and allegedly drowned her there.

Daisy Mowke

29 Mar 2017,Wednesday

If I can gain from launching SRK's son, why won't I: Karan

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/karan-johar-nepotism-shah-rukh-khan-alia-bhatt-varun-dhawan/1/915369.html

Karan Johar, in a blog post on nepotism, questioned why he would not launch Shah Rukh Khan's son if he can gain from it. "We're not NGOs! We are businesses with bottom lines and budgets...[I]t's a balance of commerce and art, and both matter," he added. Karan further said he also launched Sidharth Malhotra, who has no lineage in Bollywood.

Karan Johar is fed up with the allegations of nepotism. It all began on his talk show Koffee With Karan where Kangana Ranaut called him the "flag-bearer of nepotism". This opened the floodgates to endless debates about the ethics behind casting star-kids in films at the cost of denying chances to deserving industry outsiders.Now, Karan Johar has opened his heart on the matter in his latest blog post. Starting off by saying that he cannot handle the 'nepospasms' (A condition that, KJo describes, arises from the fear of the word 'nepotism'), Karan Johar goes on to defend his casting choices and adds that if he can be accused of nepotism, everyone can be."While we're on the subject, may I point out that while we can (and have) put the star on screen, we cannot make the audience arrive. So if it is a nepotistic world, we're not the only ones guilty of it. Taken a look at any entertainment website recently? They're full of star kids. It's all about Sara (Ali Khan) and Jhanvi (Kapoor) and Aryan (Khan) and Aarav (Kumar). They step out and they're photographed, they're the ultimate clickbait," Karan Johar wrote on Ndtv.com.Karan Johar added that his nepotism was a "a result of easy access to an exceptional resource.""Yes, I have launched Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, and, yes, maybe you can say nepotism played a part. You can argue that there was proximity and I leveraged it, that there were relationships at play which were factored. David Dhawan was, and is, a friend. I took his son on as an AD (assistant director) as a favour to that friend. And then I saw talent. And then I platformed it. When it came to Alia, I wasn't even talking to Mahesh Bhatt! I've even gone on record saying we had issues. We had auditioned 5,000 people and she was one of them. If there was anyone better than Alia Bhatt, she would have been in the movie, but there wasn't. She just stood out. Maybe her name played a role in why, but I think her body of work already proves that's not it," Karan Johar wrote.Karan Johar went on to defend his right to cast whoever he wants provided his casting decision brings audience in the theatres."We're not NGOs! We are businesses with bottom lines and budgets. And tomorrow if I want to launch Shah Rukh Khan's son because he's Shah Rukh Khan's son and I believe I can gain from it, why won't I? I run a company, it's a balance of commerce and art, and both matter," Karan wrote.Karan Johar ended his blog post by saying that if he is to be blamed of nepotism, then that is fine, but he is not the only one who can be accused of it."I'm not alone. You are doing it too. With your headlines, in your political parties, in a thousand industries across the country" - with these words, has Karan Johar brought an end to the 'nepotism' debate? Probably not.

Deepali Aggarwal

21 Jun 2017,Wednesday

Man arrested over abusive tweet after London mosque attack

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/man-arrested-over-abusive-twitter-post-after-london-mosque/1/983914.html

Richard Evans, son of a co-owner of the company whose vehicle was used in the recent London mosque attack, has been arrested over a Twitter post. He had tweeted, "it's a shame they don't hire out tanks," after the attack. Evans was arrested "on suspicion of displaying threatening abusive statement with the intent to stir up racial hatred", police said.

attack London, Jun 21 (PTI) A 37-year-old man, believed to be the son of the co-owner of a company whose vehicle was used in the London mosque attack, has been arrested over an offensive social media post in which he said "its a shame they dont hire out tanks". A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said the man has been arrested "on suspicion of displaying threatening abusive / insulting written material with intent / likely to stir up racial hatred. He is currently in police custody". Comments by a Richard Gear Evans on Facebook and Twitter read: "Its a shame that van was a nice drive as well". ".. Glad Im not running the van hire the police wouldn?t like what my answer would be. Its my Dads company I dont get involved its a shame they dont hire out a Steam Rollers or Tanks could have done a tidy job then."