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Tarun Khanna

28 Apr 2017,Friday

My finances had nothing to do with Robert's: Priyanka Gandhi

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/my-finances-have-nothing-to-do-with-my-husbands-priyanka/1/940279.html

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said her finances had nothing to do with those of her husband Robert Vadra's or his company Skylight Hospitality which is under Haryana government's scanner. Earlier, a query was made to Robert asking whether a portion of the money he had received from the DLF was used by Priyanka to buy properties in Faridabad.

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today said her finances had nothing to do with those of her husband Robert Vadras or his company Skylight Hospitality which is under Haryana governments scanner over its land deals with realty major DLF. A statement from Gandhis office came after a media house purportedly made a query to Robert Vadra asking whether a portion of the money he had received from the DLF was used by his wife to buy properties in Faridabad in Haryana. The statement mentioned about Priyanka Gandhi having bought 5 acres of agricultural land in village Amipur in Faridabad district for Rs 15 lakh on April 28, 2006, six years prior to the purported land deal involving Skylight Hospitality. The statement said the land was resold to the original owner four years later on February 17, 2010 for Rs 80 lakh, the then prevailing market price. The money was accepted through cheque. The earlier owner was made the offer to allow him exercise the right of first refusal.

Dishant Sharma

11 Dec 2016,Sunday

Chelsea top EPL table after posting 9th win on the trot

https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2016/dec/11/chelsea-v-west-bromwich-albion-premier-league-live?CMP=share_btn_tw

Chelsea returned to the top of the English Premier League table after registering their ninth win on the trot with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Diego Costa scored the match's only goal in the 76th minute, thereby taking his season's tally to 12 goals in 15 appearances so far.

3.59pm GMT 15:59 2.14pm GMT 14:14 1.51pm GMT 13:51 Peep peep! That?s an excellent win for Chelsea, precisely because they struggled so much against an admirable West Brom. It took a mistake from Garath McAuley and a storming finish from Diego Costa to decide the match, and Chelsea have now won nine league matches in a row. Thanks for your company; please join Nick Ames for Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur.Updated at 2.02pm GMT 1.49pm GMT 13:49 90+3 min Costa runs McAuley and wins a corner. Superb play. He is in immense form at the moment. 1.47pm GMT 13:47 90+1 min There will be four added minutes of painful hope for West Brom fans. 1.47pm GMT 13:47 90 min Chelsea have looked so dangerous on the counter-attack since going 1-0 up. They really aren?t the kind of team you want to trail. Swansea are the only team to take a point off Chelsea after being behind this season. 1.44pm GMT 13:44 88 min Costa?s cut-back is stabbed wide by Fabregas, who then has the brass neck to look outraged when Mike Dean gives a goal-kick. Matic is then booked for a tactical foul. 1.41pm GMT 13:41 85 min Cahill?s headed clearance comes to Dawson, who chests the ball down and volleys it into orbit. It wouldn?t sit down for him. Meanwhile, we?ve just seen a replay of Costa?s goal and the touchline celebrations. Both were magnificent. Antonio Conte is an endearing breath of stale air, a reminder of a more passionate past. 1.40pm GMT 13:40 84 min West Brom?s final substitution: Hal Robson-Kanu replaces Chris Brunt. 1.39pm GMT 13:39 83 min Chelsea have declared at 1-0, like all good Italian sides, and West Brom are enjoying more possession than at any point in the match. So far it has all been in front of the Chelsea back six though. 1.35pm GMT 13:35 79 min Substitutions galore: Chelsea bring on Ivanovic for Hazard, and West Brom introduce Chadli and McClean for Phillips and Morrison. 1.34pm GMT 13:34 78 min That is cruel on West Brom. One mistake has undone 77 minutes? immaculate work. 1.34pm GMT 13:34 This demonstrated everything that is good about Costa. Fabregas lobbed a nothing ball down the right wing, which seemed to be covered by McAuley. Costa made a virtue of a lost cause, muscling McAuley aside before charging into the area. He still had plenty to do from a tightish angle, and he produced a monstrous rising shot across Foster and into the top corner with his left foot. Great goal.Updated at 1.35pm GMT 1.32pm GMT 13:32 Diego Costa gives Chelsea the lead with a brilliant goal!Updated at 1.44pm GMT 1.31pm GMT 13:31 75 min They will probably receive no credit outside their own dressing-room, but this has been an intelligent, quietly heroic performance from West Brom. There is so much to admire about them and their manager.Updated at 1.31pm GMT 1.30pm GMT 13:30 74 min I don?t know if a goal is coming but a chance certainly is - Chelsea are having more sustained pressure in the final third. Fabregas comes on for Moses, so Chelsea are now playing a 4-2-3-1 with ?Cesc? behind Diego Costa.Updated at 1.36pm GMT 1.28pm GMT 13:28 73 min Fabregas will come on for Chelsea - but only after he?s been show the contents of the coaches? A4 folder. Can?t have you playing on instinct now! 1.27pm GMT 13:27 71 min A draw would take Chelsea top, so 2016 isn?t all bad. 1.26pm GMT 13:26 70 min Chelsea have had 72 per cent of possession but only, I think, one shot on target. They have switched to a back four, if you?re into the whole tactics thing. 1.25pm GMT 13:25 69 min Matic scrunches a shot well wide from 25 yards. 1.24pm GMT 13:24 68 min David Luiz has a long-range shot blocked by Morrison. 1.22pm GMT 13:22 67 min Rondon has had a superb game, particularly with his hold-up play. Now he lumbers down the left side of the box and drags an inviting cutback through Luiz?s legs towards the penalty spot. Fletcher, arriving late, looks set for a simple finish from 10 yards only for Cahill to change direction and make a terrific sliding clearance. Updated at 1.25pm GMT 1.21pm GMT 13:21 66 min Phillips muscles Willian aside and whips a dangerous cross into the box. Rondon gets there first to stab the ball towards goal but Cahill stretches to make an excellent block. 1.20pm GMT 13:20 65 min It feels like Chelsea are building some pressure for the first time in the match. 1.20pm GMT 13:20 64 min ?Oh no!? says JR. ?Evans is hurt! Is Lucas Leiva warming up??Look, that was a very disappointing dream, tactically speaking. 1.19pm GMT 13:19 63 min Antonio Conte makes a change, bringing on Willian for Pedro. He worked hard but achieved little. 1.18pm GMT 13:18 61 min The resulting free-kick from Luiz deflects off Hazard in the wall and bounces just wide of the post. Foster had it covered and helped push it wide; Mike Dean missed that and gave a goalkick for the deflection off Hazard. Robbie Savage, who never made a minor mistake in his entire football career, chastises Dean. 1.17pm GMT 13:17 60 min Dawson, already booked, clatters into Costa 25 yards from goal. Most refs would have given a second yellow card for that; Mike Dean Esq. is not most refs. I think it was the right decision, just about. 1.16pm GMT 13:16 59 min Jonny Evans is injured. He will try to continue but it doesn?t look good. He has been superb today and would be perfect for a team like, say, Manchester United.Updated at 1.22pm GMT 1.15pm GMT 13:15 58 min Chelsea are going through the stages of frustration. We?ve had denial and confusion; now we are on to anger, with West Brom?s clock manipulation their primary source of internal heat. 1.13pm GMT 13:13 57 min If Claudio Yacob started a cult, would it be called a Yac- oh never mind.Updated at 1.13pm GMT 1.12pm GMT 13:12 56 min Yacob is booked for a tug on Kante. 1.11pm GMT 13:11 55 min Courtois races from his line to take Brunt?s inswinger off the head of McAuley. Chelsea need to be careful here. I still think they?ll win, just because, but West Brom have carried a reasonable threat on the counter-attack. They?ve unquestionably been the better team.Updated at 1.11pm GMT 1.10pm GMT 13:10 54 min ?I think ?you don?t often see foul throws in the Premier League? is possibly the most-heard phrase in Premier League commentaries,? says Matt Loten.What about ?there are no easy games in this league? or ?Mike Dean awards the penalty?? 1.09pm GMT 13:09 52 min West Brom are brazenly timetaking at every opportunity, and the Chelsea fans are getting increasingly irked by that. At the moment, Chelsea look both confused and affronted by West Brom?s defensive excellence. 1.07pm GMT 13:07 51 min Dawson is booked for an off-the-ball rumble with Costa. There wasn?t much to it; he just dragged him over.Updated at 1.07pm GMT 1.05pm GMT 13:05 50 min Victor Moses is penalised for a foul throw. There will be banter. 1.04pm GMT 13:04 49 min Kante is booked for a late tackle on Dawson. 1.04pm GMT 13:04 48 min Fabregas for Matic is the obvious change, though Robbie Savage reckons right midfield Willian should replace left wing-back Alonso. For now Conte is sticking the starting XI, and they have made a fast start to the half. 1.02pm GMT 13:02 47 min ?While I take umbrage with your assertion that Hazard is the best player in ?this league? right now - that clearly is Sanchez - I do thank you for that Southampton clip,? says Kelvin. ?That truly was a magnificent goal. The best commentary for me was that Agueroooo moment.?Yes, I regularly reflect fondly on that moment. 1.01pm GMT 13:01 46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half, kicking from right to left. 12.58pm GMT 12:58 Slobwatch?Am currently wearing a pair of ancient fake Crocks in fashionable grubby orange,? says Anthony Webb. ?Can any of my fellow readers out-slob that?? 12.48pm GMT 12:48 Half-time readingBarney Ronay on Riyad Mahrez?s quietly divine performance yesterday. 12.47pm GMT 12:47 A 0-0 scoreline is a moral victory for West Brom, who defended immaculately and came closer to scoring than Chelsea. See you in 10 minutes for the second half. 12.46pm GMT 12:46 45 min The man of the half has been Glenn Hoddle, who has made umpteen perceptive points of BT Sport. What a waste of a great coach. 12.45pm GMT 12:45 44 min Chelsea look a bit befuddled by the way the first half has played out. West Brom have done a job on them.

Pragya Swastik

07 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Asha Bhosle gets ?53,000 power bill for unused bungalow

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/singer-asha-bhosle-msedcl-inflated-electricity-bill-maharashtra-government-chandrashekhar-bawankule/1/828387.html

The Maharashtra government has initiated an inquiry after 83-year-old singer Asha Bhosle complained of receiving an electricity bill of over ?53,000 for her unused bungalow in Lonawala. The state electricity department is investigating the unit consumption and will amend the bill if necessary. Bhosle claims of receiving similar bills in the past for the bungalow that is mostly locked.

Maharahstra Power Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday ordered the officials of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to inquire into the complaint of inflated bills by legendary singer Asha Bhosle. Bhosle was stumped after receiving an electricity bill worth over Rs 53,000 for her unused bungalow in Lonawala."Shocked" over the power bills, the 83-year-old singer approached Mumbai BJP President Aashish Shelar, who then took up the issue with Bawankule, requesting his intervention in the matter.BHOSLE GOT SIMILAR BILLS EVEN EARLIERBawankule assured Shelar that his department would investigate the unit consumption and make amends if necessary. Bhosle has received similar bills in the past for the same bungalow that remains locked for most of the year.Also read |  Maha assures action in hefty power bill claim by Asha BhosaleBut Opposition parties have attacked the government over the issue, alleging that the state government is only working for celebrities.  "This is totally laughable. The textile industry in hubs like Bhiwandi, Ichalkaranji and Malegaon has been complaining about similar inflated bills over the years. But the government has not bothered to take any cognisance of the matter. But in this case, they have immediately ordered an inquiry. This government is only for stars and celebrities," said Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi.

Chhavi Tyagi

10 Jul 2017,Monday

Lashkar terrorist from UP arrested in Kashmir

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/muzaffarnagar-kashmir-lashkar-terrorist-sandeep-kumar-sharma-up/1/998401.html

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday arrested a man belonging to Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar area for allegedly working as a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist. As per reports, the man, identified as Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, was part of the three attacks on security forces in the last month. He allegedly sheltered terrorists and ferried them from one place to another.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday arrested a man belonging to Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar for working as a Lashkar terrorist. He was arrested from an encounter site in Anantnag district. The arrested terrorist, identified as Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Aadil, was part of three attacks last month on security forces in the Kashmir Valley. Kumar was behind the killing of SHO Feroz Dar and five other policemen in Anantnag on June 16 and found involved in snatching of weapons from a police camp in Anantnag from a retired judge's home on June 13. He also carried out a terror attack on an Army convoy on June 3.Lashkar terrorists were helped by Sandeep to loot ATMs and indulge in immoral activities in the villages.Inspector General of Police Munir Khan said, "Uttar Pradesh resident Sandeep Sharma, a part of the Lashkar module, has been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police. He was a criminal who later got in touch with Lashkar." SANDEEP WAS IN THE VALLEY SINCE 2012"Sandeep was in the same house where dreaded Lashkar militant Bashir Lashkar took shelter. He was in the Valley since 2012.  Bashir Lashkar was killed in an encounter on July 1 in Anantnag. Sandeep was one of the 17 people rescued from encounter site. When police found out that he was a non-local, he was asked about his presence there. He revealed that he was part of the Lashkar group trapped in the house where two Lashkar terrorists, including Bashir Lashkari was killed." On being grilled further, it was learnt that Sandeep, along with other individuals, was involved in hatching criminal conspiracies leading to providing shelter to terrorists and ferrying them from one place to another for terror strikes and actively participating in terrorist activities.He also concealed weapons looted from police guards in a vehicle and shifted them to different locations on the directions of LeT.An investigation is in progress for find out the roles of his accomplices.Also read | Kashmir: 2 terrorists killed as infiltration bid foiled in Nowgam, combing ops onAlso read | Burhan Wani death anniversary: Fear of 2016 violence haunts Kashmir

Daisy Mowke

05 Apr 2017,Wednesday

Filmmaker's plea to end 40-year-old rape case rejected

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/roman-polanski-rape-case/1/920280.html

A plea by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, to end his 40-year-old rape case, has been rejected. Polanski's lawyers said he was willing to return to the US if he was assured he would not serve more time in jail. The director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl.

A judge in Los Angeles has rejected Oscar-winning filmmaker-actor Roman Polanski's plea to resolve his 40-year-old rape case.Polanski's plea was heard on Monday, reports variety.com.In a 13-page ruling, judge Scott Gordon found that Polanski cannot put the case behind him so long as he refuses to return to the US and submit to the court's jurisdiction."Polanski cannot avail himself of the court while standing in contempt of it," Gordon wrote.California courts have repeatedly held that Polanski cannot litigate the case from afar.The famed director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl. His attorneys have said that judge Laurence Rittenband engaged in misconduct by revoking on a pledge not to sentence Polanski to prison time, the website said.Polanski is a citizen of France and is not subject to extradition there. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has repeatedly sought to extradite him when he travels to other countries but without success.Resolving the case would allow the 83-year-old director to travel more freely and to return to the US.

Daisy Mowke

09 Apr 2017,Sunday

Superwoman tweets to Sushma Swaraj to slam visa delay

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lilly-singh-superwoman-youtube-india-visa-sushma-swaraj-travel-lifest/1/924302.html

YouTuber Lilly Singh, also known as Superwoman, took to Twitter to reveal that she has been facing difficulties in acquiring her Indian visa. In a series of tweets, she tagged PM Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. She further said that she had applied for a one year visa but was only granted one for three months.

Popular YouTuber Lilly Singh was due to visit India later this month. But now the chances seem stalled.The Superwoman has reportedly been facing difficulties in acquiring her Indian visa. So she took to Twitter to vent her grievances against what she called a 'disappointment'.Now that every other individual in distress is making it a point to reach out to Sushma Swaraj, Lilly too followed the same, directing a series of tweets at the foreign minister and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.Love india but gotta say that the consulate of India in Toronto is literally the worst place on earth. Such a disappointment.For travel to India, the consulate makes acquiring a visa the most difficult task. I hope one day @narendramodi can remedy this. It's sad..@SushmaSwaraj just a kind note to make you aware that the Consulate of India in Toronto is extremely difficult and unprofessional. ð???ð??½With more documentation than ever before, I received a lesser visa than before without any explanation. But again, I'll send an email. Thx https://t.co/NOnWKhNeWv Lilly also shot a video where she goes on at length about her trails at the consulate, describing the staff as 'rude and unprofessional' who yelled at her for even asking a question. Being a frequent visitor to India, she had applied for a one year visa but was only granted one for three months.

Dishant Sharma

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

Atletico de Kolkata renamed to Aamar, Tomar Kolkata (ATK)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/football/atletico-madrid-deal-over-will-still-be-called-atk-in-isl-2017-sanjiv-goenka/story-IFUqFI9frv8dJR1cObseyH.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Indian Super League side Atletico de Kolkata has been renamed to 'Aamar, Tomar Kolkata' (ATK) after the team's partnership with Spanish football club Atletico Madrid ended. The Spanish club, which had provided technical support to the Indian club, will be selling their stake in the club to the club's principal owner Sanjiv Goenka.

For Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) there is lots in a name. Or an acronym.So though Atletico Madrid won?t partner anymore, the Kolkata franchise of the Indian Super League (ISL) will continue to be known as ATK, said its principal owner Sanjiv Goenka.And would ATK continue to stand for what is was over the past three years? ?The name of the team is the name of the team and it is ATK. It can also stand for Aamar, Tomar Kolkata,? said Goenka. Translated from Bengali, that would mean the team for every Kolkatan.Speaking after the media conference where Goenka said this, a team official said it is premature to say that henceforth ATK would stand for something apart from what was coined three years ago after the La Liga giants came on board with a 25% stake in the ownership.?ATM (Atletico de Madrid) will sell their stake to me,? said Goenka. ?ATM and ATK have come to an agreement that they will not be part of ATK going forward. We?ve had a good relationship and we continue to be friends.?Goenka pointed out that the Madrid club hadn?t spent ?a penny? since joining in 2014. Atletico Madrid provided technical support including but not restricted to the coaching staff. They facilitated the pre-seasons in Madrid and were a major help in recruiting foreign players. The consistency of their imports played a major role in ATK winning two championships and being the semi-finalists in another.?We have competent technical team. Teddy (Sheringham) and Ashley (Westwood) bring a lot of experience, success and vision. And I hope we can fulfil expectation fans have from us. We have not let our fans down in the last three years,? said Goenka.?Babes compared to Bagan, EB?Goenka said even though the I-League and the ISL would be held simultaneously this season, there is no competition between ATK and Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in terms of garnering support. ?Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are great clubs with great legacies. We?ve grown up watching them, idolising them. We are not competing with anyone. They are ?dadas?, we are ?bachchas?,? he said.

Nihal Thondepu

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

Donald Trump forces out his top White House aide

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/28/trump-fires-white-house-chief-of-staff-reince-priebus?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

US President Donald Trump has forced out his White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and named the Homeland Security Secretary, General John Kelly, as the replacement. This comes after Trump's new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci slammed Priebus as a "fu**ing paranoid schizophrenic". Priebus has reportedly claimed that he resigned privately on Thursday.

Donald Trump has forced out Reince Priebus as the White House chief of staff and replaced him with the homeland security secretary, Gen John Kelly.Trump tweeted: ?I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House chief of staff. He is a great American ? and a great leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my administration.?The departure of Priebus came as little surprise after he was the subject of a furious, foul-mouthed attack by new communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who claimed he would be asked to quit imminently. Priebus told the Wall Street Journal in a text message that he resigned privately on Thursday.Trump ? who in six months has now lost a chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, national security adviser, communications director and press secretary ? added on Twitter: ?I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!?According to a pooled report, Trump sent the tweets shortly after Air Force One landed back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, following a trip to Long Island, New York. Priebus and Scaramucci were also on the flight.In a statement, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said: ?General John Kelly is one of the true stars of the administration. He has helped seal the border and reduced illegal immigration by 70%. He is respected by everyone, especially the people at the Department of Homeland Security.?The entire administration loves him and no one is comparable. He will begin on Monday morning and a cabinet meeting will follow his swearing in Monday morning.?She added: ?The president thanks Reince Priebus for his service. They accomplished a lot together. He was loyal in his dedication to the president. The president thanks him and his family for his great service to the country, and he will always be a member of the Trump team.?Sanders then spoke to reporters outside her office. Asked if the decision was Priebus?s or Trump?s, she replied: ?We all serve at the pleasure of the president. The conversations about this started with the president and Reince about two weeks ago, in terms of timing.?She denied that the change had anything do with Scaramucci, and said Trump and Kelly had been ?talking about it for a while?.On Friday, Priebus said in a statement: ?It has been one of the greatest honours of my life to serve this president and our country. I want to thank the president for giving me this very special opportunity. I will continue to serve as a strong supporter of the president?s agenda and policies. I can?t think of a better person than John Kelly to succeed me and I wish him God?s blessings and great success.?In an interview with CNN just two hours after his departure was announced, Priebus paid homage to Trump. ?I am going to honor the president every day,? he said, adding: ?I?m always going to be a Trump fan. I?m on Team Trump.? He refused to respond to Scaramucci?s comments, saying: ?I?m not going to get into the mud.?While Priebus insisted he had resigned, there were strong hints that there was more under the surface. He said on CNN that the president had wanted to ?hit the reset button? and ?intuitively determined that it was time to do something differently?.On Friday, House speaker Paul Ryan, a close Priebus ally who has had a tense relationship with Trump, said: ?Reince Priebus has left it all out on the field, for our party and our country. Here is a guy from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who revitalized the Republican national committee and became White House chief of staff. He has served the president and the American people capably and passionately. He has achieved so much, and he has done it all with class. I could not be more proud to call Reince a dear friend.?He added: ?I congratulate Secretary Kelly on his appointment, and look forward to working with him to advance our agenda.?Priebus was one of the least powerful chiefs of staff in recent history, and his future had long been a matter of speculation. In a highly unorthodox move, Trump decided that Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon would serve as ?equal partners? in implementing his agenda.The gossip intensified rapidly a week ago, when Scaramucci was appointed as communications director despite Priebus?s objections. The former Wall Street banker claimed they were ?like brothers? but tensions soon flared.Scaramucci clearly suspected Priebus of leaking information to the media. This led him to call the New Yorker and give an interview in which he described Priebus as ?a fucking paranoid schizophrenic? who would soon be asked to resign.On Tuesday, Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that no staff shakeup was in the cards. But according to media reports, he privately floated potential replacements including Kelly, deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and former campaign adviser David Urban.In an interview earlier this week, Michael Steele, predecessor of Priebus as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), said: ?It?s very clear the president has very little confidence in him. Reince?s head is on the block, as was Sean Spicer?s. Sean just got up and removed himself before the axe came down.?Priebus is the latest casualty in Trump?s West Wing. Others include national security adviser Michael Flynn, former deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh, press secretary Sean Spicer and press aide Michael Short.Priebus went out of his way to appease Trump?s insurgent candidacy during the 2016 election campaign. After Trump?s victory in the Indiana primary and Ted Cruz?s decision to drop out, Priebus declared Trump the presumptive nominee, though Ohio governor John Kasich was still in the race, and then used the full muscle of the RNC to quash efforts to deny Trump the Republican nomination at the party convention in Cleveland.He also went in person to Trump Tower in 2015 for Trump to sign a loyalty oath to the Republican party, a deeply unusual step for an RNC chair to court such a recalcitrant candidate.Kelly, meanwhile, has been arguably Trump?s favourite cabinet secretary and is leading efforts to build a wall on the Mexican border. Kelly ran the US southern command, which includes the military prison at Guantánamo Bay. In 2010, his son, Lt Robert Michael Kelly, was killed after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan.In a Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery earlier this year, Trump said: ?I especially want to extend our gratitude to Secretary John Kelly for joining us today. Incredible man. I always like to call him General. He understands more than most ever could or ever will the wounds and burdens of war.?Kelly said in a statement he was honoured to be asked to serve as chief of staff, adding praise for the staff of the homeland security department: ?When I left the Marines, I never thought I would find as committed, as professional, as patriotic a group of individuals. I was wrong. You accomplish great things every day defending our nation and I know your exceptional work will continue.?Kelly?s appointment leaves a gap at the Department of Homeland Security. Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee, said: ?General Kelly has a long history of service to our country and I had a good working relationship with him as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. With the threats facing this nation, I urge the president to nominate a qualified secretary to replace General Kelly as quickly as possible.?In a week of exceptional turmoil, Trump has also turned his ire on Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, accusing him of weakness for recusing himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign?s alleged collusion with Russia.

Nandini Sinha

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Over 3 lakh people killed in Syria war: Monitor

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/syria-war-has-killed-more-than-330-000-monitor/story-Y9cO66txAIhhSupXfAYuXM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

More than 3 lakh people, around a third of them civilians, have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it started six years ago, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The monitor said it has documented the deaths of 3,31,765 people since March 2011. Further, the conflict has displaced more than half of Syria's population.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it started six years ago, around a third of them civilians, a monitor said Sunday.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has documented the deaths of 331,765 people across Syria since the conflict erupted in mid-March 2011 with anti- government protests.Included in the overall death toll are 99,617 civilians, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that the figures were for the period between March 15, 2011 and July 15, 2017.A total of 18,243 children and 11,427 women were among the civilians killed, the Observatory said.The figures were the latest provided by the Observatory since March when it said 320,000 people, including 96,000 civilians, had been killed.In its latest report, the Observatory said a total of 116,774 members of the regime forces or regime supporters have been killed in Syria since the conflict began.Of those, it said 61,808 were soldiers and 1,408 were members of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, an Iran- backed regime ally.Also killed in Syria since the conflict erupted were 57,000 rebels, including from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance.In addition, more than 58,000 jihadists, namely from the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda?s former Syria affiliate, were killed, said the Observatory, noting that the figure also includes foreign extremists.The conflict broke out with peaceful anti-government protests but quickly turned into a fully fledged war involving a multitude of local, regional and foreign powers.The brutal conflict has destroyed much of the country?s infrastructure and displaced millions of people, more than half of Syria?s population.

Tarun Khanna

02 May 2017,Tuesday

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan resigns from party's PAC

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amanatullah-khan-aap-resigns-pac-kumar-vishwas-bjp-rss/1/943223.html

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on Monday resigned from the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), after accusing AAP leader Kumar Vishwas of trying to split the party. "I stand by what I said about Vishwas. He's working at the behest of BJP and RSS," Khan said. "Vishwas ate cake with Ajit Doval and Bassi when AAP MLAs were arrested," he added.

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan resigned from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) after senior leader Kumar Vishwas refused to attend the meeting on Monday.Khan while coming out of the PAC meeting said, "I stand by what I said about Vishwas. He is working at the behest of the BJP and RSS." Staying rigid on his stand, Khan added, "Vishwas ate cake with Ajit Doval and Bassi when AAP MLAs were arrested."After Khan's resignation, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today asked all party MLAs and workers not to give public statements."No MLAs, workers should give public statements. We need to have trust in the party. If there is any issue, talk to Arvind Kejriwal," he said, adding that such acts result in loss to the party and Delhi."We have three years during which we have to work on WiFi, schools, health, etc. These small statements result adversely affect the morale of our party workers." Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting and discussed the infighting in the party with senior party leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Dilip Pandey and Ashutosh.Kejriwal is learnt to be unhappy with the way Amanatullah Khan made the allegations after Kumar Vishwas called for a deeper introspection within the party in the aftermath of the electoral drubbing that the AAP received in Punjab, Goa and Delhi.Amanatullah had also alleged that Kumar Vishwas is trying to take control of the AAP replacing Arvind Kejriwal as the party convener.Yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal had come in the defence of Kumar Vishwas calling him as a younger brother. Kejriwal had tweeted saying, "Kumar is my younger brother. Some people are trying to drive a wedge between us. They are enemies of the party. They should refrain. No one can separate us." Watch video here Also read: Arvind Kejriwal in huddle with Manish Sisodia, others over AAP infighting

Deepali Aggarwal

24 Jun 2017,Saturday

Trump knows India is 'force for good' in world: US officials

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/trump-realises-india-has-been-force-for-good-in-world-top/1/986422.html

On the eve of Indian PM Narendra Modi's US visit, President Donald Trump's administration has said that the President realises India has been a "force for good" in the world and ties with it are important. "It would be wrong to say that this (US) administration has been ignoring India," officials added. Notably, this will be the first Trump-Modi meeting.

official (EDS: Incorporating Modi visit series) By Lalit K Jha Washington, Jun 24 (PTI) On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modis US visit, the Trump administration has dismissed reports that it has been ignoring India, saying President Trump realises that the country has been a "force for good" in the world and ties with it were important. "I think that it would be wrong to say that this administration has been ignoring or not focused on India," a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the two-day Modi visit from June 25. The Prime Minister would meet President Donald Trump face-to-face for the first time at the White House on Monday. "I think that the US really appreciates India, and I think that President Trump realises that India has been a force for good in the world and that its a relationship thats important. And I think that will come through in the visit on Monday," the official said. The senior administration official made the remarks while responding to questions on whether the US-India relationship has drifted under the new government, in part, because of President Trump and the administrations support to China. "I think its a bit unfair. I mean, were only six months into the administration. But there have been two very good phone calls between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi that you can point to as showing both countries interest in the relationship," the White House official argued. "Yes, this will be the first opportunity for them to sit down and have a conversation, but I think that this is still fairly early on in the administration," the official said. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump and Prime Minister Modi would have a very robust discussion when they meet at the White House. "During the meeting, the President and the Prime Minister will discuss ongoing cooperation, including counter-terrorism, defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy," Spicer said in response to a question. Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus hoped that Trump, in his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, shows enthusiastic support for deepening the US-India relationship, which enjoys strong bipartisan support. "The relationship is ripe for additional cooperation in areas such as the development of aircraft carrier technology, space surveillance, unmanned aerial vehicles, cyber and increased defense manufacturing," Warner said. "As we venture further into the Asian Century, there is little doubt of the increasing significance of India on the world stage. Our cooperation helps increase global security and advance economic opportunity in both countries," Warner said in response to a question. On whether the contentious H-1B visa issue would come up for discussion during the meeting, a senior administration official said it was unlikely to be raised from the US side but if raised by the Indian side, the Americans were ready for it. Ahead of the visit, Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna said the first face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump will give them an opportunity to look at the entire gamut of Indo-US engagement and to exchange views on issues of global interest. At the invitation of Trump, the Prime Minister would spend several hours with the US President at the White House on Monday afternoon, which would end with a dinner later that night. This would be the first working dinner being hosted by Trump for a foreign leader at the White House. "I think that just shows the amount of care that has gone in on the part of the White House to welcome our Prime Minister and the kind of planning that has gone into make this a very special visit," Sarna said. "This (dinner) is a special gesture and it is appreciated," he said. On the agenda of the meeting, a senior administration official told reporters that the civil nuclear deal would be part of the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. The White House also emphasised that the US was looking forward to its nuclear reactors contributing to Indias energy security. It said the US is interested in providing India with the kind of defence technology it normally reserves for its closest allies, signalling the Trump administrations resolve to strengthen the bilateral defence relationship. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar here and told him that Prime Minister Modis Washington visit would strengthen the Indo-US relationship and help advance the common interest in fighting terrorism and promoting economic growth. The two agreed that the two countries have a deep and growing strategic partnership and hope to work more closely on regional and global issues. Jaishankar also met other senior officials at the State Department. Ahead of his visit, Modi yesterday said he looked forward to the opportunity of having an in-depth exchange of views. "My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted.

Rini Sinha

03 Jul 2017,Monday

TV actress Ankita Lokhande to star in Kangana's Manikarnika

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ankita-lokhande-kangana-ranaut-manikarnika-rani-laxmibai/1/992837.html

TV actress Ankita Lokhande will star in the Kangana Ranaut starrer 'Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi'. She'll play Jhalkaribai, a female soldier in Rani Laxmibai's army in the film. "I'm indebted...for this challenging role in a big-budget film scripted by Baahubali writer...alongside a National Award-winning actress like Kangana, who exudes power and is an inspiration to all women," said Ankita.

Ankita Lokhande, who rose to fame with the hit television show Pavitra Rishta, is all set to enter Bollywood. Ankita will make her debut with Kangana Ranaut in Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi. She will playing Jhalkaribai, a solider who rose through the ranks in Rani Laxmibai's army to become a prominent advisor.Ankita told Mumbai Mirror, "I'd never heard of her before, not many have, but Jhalkaribai was one of the greatest heroes of our proud history. I'm honoured that I'll be telling her story to the world, fighting alongside Kangana's Rani Laxmibai." She has been training in sword-fighting with Hollywood action director Nick Powell for the last one and a half months to get the nuances of her character right.Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi fell into Ankita's lap when the film's producer Kamal Jain, who she has known for a long time, approached her for the film. Ankita said, "I'm indebted to Kamal sir for this challenging role in a big-budget film scripted by Baahubali writer KV Vijayendra Prasad alongside a National Award-winning actress like Kangana, who exudes power and is an inspiration to all women. I'm looking forward to learning from her once we start shooting in August."According to reports, Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi is scheduled to release on April 27, 2018. The film will reportedly clash with Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani-starrer Baaghi 2.

Chhavi Tyagi

29 Jun 2017,Thursday

JD(U) slams Modi for making cow an agenda to polarise votes

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jdu-slams-pm-modi-cow-national-agenda-polarise-votes/1/990425.html

The JD(U) has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making cow a national agenda to polarise votes. "PM has had to appeal the gau rakshaks for the second time not to kill people in the name of cow... PM was not interested in gau seva but polarisation of votes in the name of gau," JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said.

The Janta Dal United (JDU) has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he made an emotional pitch in Gujarat on Thursday asserting that killing in the name of cow protection was unacceptable. The JD-U, hitting out at the prime minister, said that there has been a spurt in incidents of lynching and killing in the name of "gau raksha" across the country because the BJP government made cow a national agenda for seeking and polarising votes.Speaking to India Today, JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that PM Modi was more interested in votes in the name of cow rather than "gau seva"."PM has had to appeal the gau rakshaks for the second time not to kill people in the name of cow. This is because PM has made cow the national agenda for doing politics and this had to be the result. PM was not interested in gau seva but polarisation of votes in the name of gau," said Kumar. MOST LYNCHING INCIDENTS HAPPENED IN BJP-RULED STATES Kumar said that it was BJP-ruled states like Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand which reported most of the cases of killing and lynching. He demanded that making emotional appeals was not enough and the government should ensure harshest punishment for people accused of indulging in killings in name of cow protection."It seems that the authority of PM Modi is declining, especially in BJP-ruled states where there are several fake gau rakshaks. PM should feel ashamed of this. Has he become so weak that he has to make appeal to gau rakshaks? He should take strict action against such fake gau rakshaks and speedy trial should take place so that justice is done, and these fake gau rakshaks are sent to jail," added the JDU spokesperson.Neeraj Kumar said that the Narendra Modi government was not bothered about development and employment but only about gau, gobar and beef.

Tarun Khanna

07 Apr 2017,Friday

Hindu community is in anger: VHP on Alwar cow vigilante case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/alwar-gau-rakshak-attack-vhp-surendra-jain-hindus-muslims/1/922689.html

Reacting to the assault on five men by cow vigilantes in Alwar, VHP leader Surendra Jain has said the Hindu community is angry and the assault was an expression of spontaneous anger. "These people forget the 1857 freedom movement was based on the symbol of cow. Hindus will continue to be furious if their sentiments are hurt," he added.

The ultra-right Hindutva outfit and Sangh affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) believes the Alwar killing, where a mob lynched a Muslim man over suspicions of him being a cow smuggler, was an expression of the popular and spontaneous anger of the Hindus and that it had nothing to do with any Hindutva outfit."We do not favour killing, but it needs to be understood that Hindus have long been mistreated in their own country and that such incidents are but an expression of the deep-seated anger among Hindus which bursts spontaneously. The politicians of the secular brigade are the ones who have fuelled this by teasing Hindus into a state where they might react," VHP leader Surendra Jain said."Asaduddin Owaisi stopped desecrating Hindu gods and goddesses when we told him in Hyderabad that we would be pushed to the wall and we could start the same for the Prophet," said VHPs international joint general secretary Surendra Jain. "Karnataka CM argued that he would continue to eat beef."HINDUS ARE ANGRY, SAYS JAINThe Hindu community is in anger, Jain said, and that it could express itself in spontaneous ways that we don't have control over. "These people forget that the 1857 freedom movement was sparked and based around the symbol of cow. Hindus will continue to be furious if their sentiments are hurt," he said."The Muslim community is entirely responsible for such incidents where the two communities clash over the cow. Muslims are Christians have desecrated Hindu gods and goddesses and have written such denigrating documents against Ram and Krishna and Kali to fill halls at end," Jain added.

Prashanti Moktan

22 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Tickets costing ?76,000 for Bieber's India concert sold out

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/justin-bieber-concert-mumbai-tickets-price-lifest/1/888677.html

The highest priced tickets, which cost ?76,000, for singer Justin Bieber's India concert have been sold out after the ticket sale went live on Wednesday. The VVIP 2 category tickets worth ?58,030 have also been sold out. The lowest priced tickets for the concert, scheduled for May 10 at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, cost ?4,060.

Justin Bieber's Mumbai concert might be months away, but it has already caused ripples in the hearts of his many fans in the country. And while the news of the ticket prices going all the way upto Rs 76,000 made jaws drop, our doubts have now been confirmed.The ticket sales for Bieber's Mumbai concert went live on BookMyShow.com at approximately 12:15 pm today, and we were already 9818th in queue by 12:45 pm. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the tickets start at Rs 4,060 and go upto Rs 76,790.Also Read: It's official, guys; Justin Bieber is coming to IndiaTo be held on May 10, 2017, at Mumbai's DY Patil stadium, the concert will be Bieber's first in India and will be a part of his Purpose world tour. The ticket categories for the concert have been divided into Diamond (Rs 25,200), Platinum (Rs 15,400), Gold (Rs 10,080), Silver (Rs 7,700) and GA (Rs 4,060). But wait, what about the VIPs and VVIPs of the world?

Rini Sinha

28 Mar 2017,Tuesday

Priyanka is the biggest int'l star we have today: Anupam

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anupam-kher-naam-shabana-priyanka-chopra-baywatch-hollywood/1/913665.html

Actor Anupam Kher has said that actress Priyanka Chopra is the biggest international star we have today. He added, "I'm so proud to have someone from India who is on every magazine cover, on billboards, at every event and on every talk show." Lauding her work, Anupam further said that there's no comparison between his and Priyanka's achievements in Hollywood.

From Bend It Like Beckham to the Oscar-nominated Silver Linings Playbook, Anupam Kher's filmography boasts of some impressive Hollywood projects. But back home, the actor never received the love that Priyanka ChopraDeepika Padukone are now getting for their ventures in the West. Kher tells IndiaToday.in in an exclusive chat that he is not resentful for it."At that time there was no social media. People who wanted to know what I did knew about it, whether it was Bend It Like Beckham or any other film. But today, everyone knows the fact that I have four releases coming, thanks to social media," the actor says.Talking about India's most famous export to the West, the Naam Shabana actor says, "Priyanka Chopra is the biggest international star that we have today. Her achievements are amazing. I'm so proud to have someone from India who is on every magazine cover, on billboards, at every event and on every talk show. So there is no comparison of my achievements with her."Anupam Kher's upcoming Hollywood films include The Big Sick and Gerard Butler-starrer A Family Man, while Priyanka will make her Hollywood debut in Baywatch.ALSO READ | Anupam Kher on CM Yogi Adityanath: Don't want to dignify troll attack 

Ankush Verma

01 May 2017,Monday

Want to increase annual trade with India to $10 bn: Turkey

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/recep-tayyip-erdogan-narendra-modi/1/942250.html

Turkish President Recep Erdo?an, who is on a one-day visit to India, met PM Narendra Modi and said that Turkey's $6.5 billion annual trade volume with India is "not enough" and should be boosted to $10 billion. Erdo?an and Modi are also expected to discuss other strategic issues, including India's NSG membership bid and enhancing anti-terror cooperation during the visit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi today during his one-day visit to India. Erdogan's visit to India comes barely a fortnight after Turkey voted in a referendum on whether the country should change from a parliamentary democracy to the presidential form of government.Strategic issues, including India's NSG membership bid and ways to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and trade are expected to be discussed during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip  Erdogan. (With inputs from agencies) ALSO READ |

Anmol Sharma

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Who is Bharat Arun, Indian cricket team's new bowling coach?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bharat-arun-team-india-bowling-coach-ravi-shastri-head-coach/1/1004791.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Team India's newly appointed bowling coach Bharat Arun's coaching career started in 2002 with Tamil Nadu's Ranji side, the team he represented as a player. Arun led Tamil Nadu to two Ranji finals in his 4-year stint with the team. Arun has also coached the India Under-19 team, helping them win the U-19 World Cup in 2012.

Bharat Arun has made a comeback into the Indian dressing room as he has been appointed bowling coach by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.The unnamed BCCI committee comprising acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CoA member Diana Edulji met at the board headquarters in Mumbai.WATCH VIDEOSanjay Bangar and R Sridhar will remain the assistant and fielding coach respectively. All appointments have been made for a two year term.Arun has been handed a full-time role as bowling consultant Zaheer Khan will only be available for 150 days a year."I was very clear in my mind what my core team would be and you have just heard that," Shastri said after Choudhary announced the appointment in a press conference.His appointment marks a complete u-turn for the BCCI, which had named Zaheer as bowling consultant initially before clarifying that it was for specific overseas tours.There is also, no clarity on Rahul Dravid's position as batting consultant either."All depends on their availability, it depends on individuals, the number of days they want to give but their inputs will be invaluable and they are most welcome," was Shastri's cryptic response on queries regarding Zaheer and Dravid. The 54-year-old had previously served in the same capacity during Shastri's tenure as team director from 2014 to 2016. The former India bowler was also Shastri's teammate from their Under-19 and India days.Shastri, who was in London when his appointment was announced, also thanked the Cricket Advisory Committee -- comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman -- for picking him for the high-profile job."I would like to thank the CAC because it is a privilege and honour to be India's coach. And I would like to thank the CAC for considering me worthy enough for the job," he said. 

Mansha Mahajan

11 Mar 2017,Saturday

Help innovators take ideas to market: Ratan Tata tells govt

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/help-innovators-take-ideas-to-market-tata-to-govt-industry/1/901865.html

The government and industry should share the responsibility for creating an environment that fosters innovators and helps them take ideas to the market, Ratan Tata said. "India has been a country which has created many innovators many of who have to go abroad to fulfil their dreams," Tata stated. Start-ups and innovation are terms which connote enormous profits, he added.

New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) The government and the industry should share responsibility for creating an environment that fosters innovators and helps them take ideas to the market, eminent industrialist Ratan Tata said today. "I believe responsibility of private sector is as much to encourage these innovations because it is outside sphere of a normal banking arrangement to see innovation being funded and so I believe under the auspices of the President and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) are looking at very important moment in our history," Tata said. Tata was speaking at a round-table on start-ups, incubation and financing innovations at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The government and the industry should share responsibility for creating an environment in the country that fosters and recognises innovators and helps them take ideas to the market, Tata said. "It is great privilege and great honour to be here today as someone who is been in the start-up and the ... innovation sector and to be aware that today at the highest level in the country, we are receiving the kind of attention that we should have received many many years ago," Tata said at the concluding day of the Festival of Innovations. Tata said start-ups and innovation are recent terms which connote enormous profits, billionaires but people often forget both innovation and start-ups have resulted in products and assistance for common good of man. "India has been country which has created many innovators many of who have to go abroad to fulfil their dreams," Tata said. President Pranab Mukherjee also expressed concern over funding methodology for innovative start-ups and called for urgent need to rethink on design and structure of financial instruments to provide a fillip to grass root innovation movement.

Sumedha Sehra

19 Jun 2017,Monday

Mamata calls for peace in Darjeeling, flies to Netherlands

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/darjeeling-gjm-unrest-mamata-banerjee-calls-for-peace/1/981987.html

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has appealed to the people of Darjeeling to maintain peace and calm in the region, before heading to the Netherlands. She said that her ministers were monitoring the situation, after three activists of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) were allegedly killed in police firing. Protestors carried out a rally with the coffins of those killed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for calm and peace after a weekend of violence in Darjeeling hills, where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is observing an indefinite shutdown. Uneasy calm prevailed on Sunday after GJM activists were allegedly shot dead by security forces in clashes on Saturday. The protesters, who are pressing for a separate state of Gorkhaland, took out a large rally on Sunday with the bodies of activists allegedly killed in police firing. CM Banerjee, who left for the Netherlands today to address a United Nations meet, accused GJM of trying to create an "ethnic" divide in Darjeeling and said violence won't be tolerated. The Darjeeling bandh, which was sparked over the West Bengal government's purported decision to make Bengali compulsory in state schools, completed a week today. ALSO READ | Darjeeling hills burn over Gorkhaland: Why Bimal Gurung must recall 2009 Supreme Court guidelines

Daisy Mowke

22 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Chinese man caught with 1,000 diamonds hidden in shoes

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/china-man-caught-1000-diamonds-hidden-in-his-shoes/1/910166.html

A Chinese man has been caught trying to smuggle more than 1,000 diamonds into Shenzhen from Hong Kong by hiding them in his shoes. "[We were] suspicious as he sometimes tiptoed. When he found that we were looking at him, he quickly shifted to normal walking posture," said a customs officer. He was then asked to take his shoes off.

A young man has been caught trying to smuggle more than 1,000 diamonds into Shenzhen City from neighbouring Hong Kong by hiding them in his shoes.Customs officials in Shenzhen in Guangdong province found 212.9 carats of diamonds in the alleged smuggler's insoles when he passed through Luohu port, which links Hong Kong with inland cities, reports Xinhua."The man was suspicious as he sometimes tiptoed. When he found that we were looking at him, he quickly shifted to normal walking posture," said a customs officer Wang.Customs officers asked the man to take off his shoes. When they removed his insoles, they found several bags of sparkling diamonds.According to customs at Luohu port, diamonds have been found in the socks and snack food packages of other smugglers. A few days earlier, a man tried to sneak 1,554 diamonds weighing 164 carats in packaged snack food.FYI || Cutting horns, removing thorns: Czech zoo decides to saw off horns of rhinos to protect them from poachers ||

Deepali Aggarwal

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

China to build its first Mars simulation base near Tibet

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-to-build-first-mars-simulation-base-near-tibet/story-4GedxWxdzEmQmy1xSty1mN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

China plans to build its first Mars simulation base on the country's Tibetan plateau as it aims to send the first mission to the red planet by 2020 after the US, India and Russia. The project will reportedly incorporate education, tourism, scientific research and simulation training. The base might also include a set for shooting films and TV shows.

China plans to build its first Mars simulation base on the Tibetan plateau in the country?s northwest as it aims to send the first mission to the red planet by 2020 to catch-up with the US, India and Russia.An agreement to build a ?Mars village? at Haixi prefecture in Qinghai province, a part of the Tibetan plateau located next to Tibet Autonomous Region, was signed yesterday, state-run China News Service reported.The region on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau is known for its sharp ridges and mounds of rock, known as yardangs, formed over the centuries by wind erosion. They mirror similar features found on the arid surface of Mars.The project will incorporate education, tourism, scientific research and simulation training, Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post reported.China aims to launch a Mars probe around 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples from the red planet, according to an official white paper ?China?s Space Activities in 2016?.China looks to catch up with India, the US, Russia and the European Union in sending probes to Mars.The base might also include a set for shooting films and TV shows, the report quoted a local government statement as saying.Liu Xiaoqun, an official involved in space exploration at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the base would contribute to local tourism in Qinghai.The facility, composed of a ?Mars community? and a ?Mars camp?, will provide tourists with a unique scientific and cultural experience, the report said.The government showed off images last year depicting its future orbiter, lander and rover ? designed to explore the surface of the red planet.

Vani Vivek

13 Jul 2017,Thursday

Airbnb host who cancelled stay over guest's race fined ?3L

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/13/airbnb-california-racist-comment-penalty-asian-american?CMP=twt_a-technology_b-gdntech&utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An Airbnb host who cancelled a woman's reservation as she was Asian has been fined ?3 lakh for racial discrimination and ordered to take a course in Asian-American studies. Homestay startup Airbnb also permanently banned the host after the incident was reported. "I wouldn?t rent it to u if u were the last person on earth,? the host told her.

An Airbnb host who canceled a woman?s reservation using a racist remark has been ordered to pay $5,000 in damages for racial discrimination and take a course in Asian American studies.Dyne Suh, a 26-year-old law clerk, had booked Tami Barker?s mountain cabin in Big Bear, California, for a skiing weekend with friends in February, but Barker canceled the reservation by text message minutes before they arrived,stating: ?I wouldn?t rent it to u if u were the last person on earth? and ?One word says it all. Asian?.This is the first time an Airbnb host has been penalized for racial discrimination under a landmark agreement between the San Francisco-headquartered accommodation marketplace and the California department of fair employment and housing (DFEH), announced earlier this year. The agreement allows the regulator to test and penalize Airbnb hosts for racial bias. In addition to paying monetary damages and taking a college-level course in Asian American studies, Barker must agree to comply with anti-discrimination laws, make a personal apology to Suh, participate in a community education panel and volunteer with a civil rights organization.?We were thinking pretty creatively with this agreement,? said Kevin Kish, director of DFEH. ?The law tends to be backwards-looking, focusing on compensating people for harm. We?re interested in remedies that repair harm and transform relationships.?Suh booked Barker?s place for a long weekend with her fiance in February 2017 a month in advance for $250 a night. When Suh later asked if it was OK to bring two friends and two dogs along, Barker said it was fine but the group would need to pay an additional $50 a night, according to screenshots of their text messages. On the day of the booking, the foursome drove for hours in the rain and snow to Big Bear. Minutes away from the house, Suh texted Barker to let them know they were close and to confirm the cost of the stay. According to Suh, Barker then denied she ever agreed to having two extra guests and canceled the reservation, despite Suh sending her screenshots of their earlier agreement.When Suh said she?d complain to Airbnb about the racist remark, Barker replied: ?It?s why we have Trump ? and I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners.?In an emotional video immediately after the incident, Suh said: ?I just feel so hurt. People thought: ?Oh, with the election of President Obama racism is over in this country.? No, it?s very much alive, it exists and it could happen to anyone.??It stings that after living in the US for over 23 years this is what happens. No matter if I follow the law ... no matter how well I treat others, it doesn?t matter. If you?re Asian, you?re less than human and people can treat you like trash.?After Suh complained, Airbnb carried out its own investigation and banned Barker from the platform.Suh also complained to DFEH, leading to a separate investigation, mediation and an agreement between the two parties, negotiated last week. The idea of making the host attend the Asian American studies course came out during mediation sessions. ?A lot of times when we see bias incidents it involves a lack of understanding of the experiences and histories of a particular group of people,? Kish said. ?This was a creative way to address that core underlying cause of the bias.??We want there to be strong anti-discrimination protections and preventions of harm, but we recognize that the world isn?t divided into good guys and bad guys. Humans have biases and we also need to recognize that humans change.?Barker?s lawyer Edward Lee said in a statement that his client was ?regretful for her impetuous actions and comments? but pleased to have resolved the matter with Suh and the DFEH ?in a manner that can hopefully bring a positive outcome out of an unfortunate incident?.Airbnb allowed the DFEH to regulate it for racial bias following a 10-month investigation based on a growing number of reports suggesting hosts regularly refuse to rent to guests due to their race, a problem exposed in 2016 under the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack.Until that point, Airbnb, like other ?sharing economy? companies including Uber and Instacart, had repeatedly resisted industry regulations, arguing that it was a ?platform? and not subject to local laws and requirements that apply to similar businesses. Under the agreement, Airbnb allows the government to test for racial discrimination by hosts in California who have been subject to discrimination complaints and have three or more listings. The ?fair housing testing? echoes the process DFEH investigators have used in the traditional rental market where black and white applicants, with otherwise identical backgrounds, are both sent to try and secure a lease from a landlord. With Airbnb, investigators can set up fake accounts and make reservation requests to hosts to see if they are discriminating. Kish hopes that this first case will send a message to hosts: ?We?re watching,? he said. ?But we?re willing to be creative.? ?We are interested in facilitating the types of outcomes that allow people to not only be compensated for harm but transform their relationships with each other and their communities.?Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment.

Tarun Khanna

04 Mar 2017,Saturday

38 seats go to polls in 1st phase of Manipur election

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manipur-election-news-first-phase-congress-bjp/1/896521.html

Polling for the first phase of Manipur election began on Saturday as 38 seats went to polls amid high security. In the first phase, more than 11 lakh voters will decide the fate of 168 candidates. Moreover, around 250 companies of central paramilitary forces are on the ground with the Assam Rifles and Army following the unrest in the state.

First phase of Manipur Assembly elections ended today, with over 80 per cent voter turnout being recorded till reports last came in. As many as 1,643 polling stations were set up in areas spread over Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.More than 11 lakh voters exercised their franchise to decide the fate of 168 candidates in the fray.There was heavy security in parts of the state amid continual clashes with the United Naga Council. More than 250 companies of central paramilitary forces were deployed on duty with the Assam Rifles and Army aiding in providing security cover. No major law and order issues were reported.This election marks the debut of Irom Sharmila's People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) party.  Here are the live updates:#ManipurElection2017 Differently abled people and the elderly being assisted at polling booth no. 3/40 in Kongpal (Khurai, Imphal East) pic.twitter.com/FfdnvlBIz8First time voter shows her inked finger after casting vote at a polling booth in Manipur's Bishnupur #ManipurElection2017pic.twitter.com/jm0DXl97IGManipur set to go to polls today in the first of its two-phased elections across 38 Assembly constituencies. pic.twitter.com/UMcwjHQjI9

Tarun Khanna

11 Jan 2017,Wednesday

Where was blood coming from: MLA asks rape victim's friends

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/patna-rashtriya-lok-samta-party-lallan-paswan-rape/1/854035.html

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party's MLA in Bihar, Lallan Paswan, on Monday posed some questions to an alleged rape victim's friends. He asked them, "from where was the blood coming out?" When the girls murmured "from the bottom," he asked, "what do you mean by bottom?" "If you don't reply properly, it's possible you may also get raped," he said.

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party MLA, Lallan Paswan who was caught on camera posing indecent questions to girl students in connection with alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl, remained defiant asserting that the questions he posed to the girl students were relevant.Speaking exclusively to India Today, Paswan said he won't apologize for his conduct. He said, "Whatever questions I have asked to the girls are relevant and were important to get to the truth of the matter as there was another theory that the girl perhaps committed suicide."Paswan had visited a Dalit hostel for girls in Hajipur, Vaishali on Monday morning where an incident of alleged rape and murder of a girl took place. The MLA who had gone to take stock of the situation in a bid to get to the truth asked indecent questions to the friends of the deceased girl."What do you think happened with the girl? From where was the blood coming out?" questioned the MLA.ALSO READ: These Patna residents have some hilarious reasons for not depositing old notes in bank. Read onThe girls were deeply embarrassed by the questions of the legislator murmured,"Blood was coming from the bottom".However, the MLA further asked them what do you mean by bottom? you all are educated and should reply. If you do not reply properly, it is possible that you may also get raped, said Lallan Paswan.

Daisy Mowke

11 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Pride Parade held in Lucknow for the first time

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/awadh-pride-parade-lucknow/1/926189.html

Lucknow held its first LGBTIQA Pride Parade on Sunday, which saw the participation of nearly 300 people. The organiser of the parade said that many family members also joined the parade in support. People from different cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Jaipur were also a part of the parade.

18 years after India put together its first Pride Parade (in Kolkata), Lucknow has now joined the club.Lucknow held its first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Asexual - Pride Parade on Sunday. In a proud moment for the state, LGBTIQA members were also joined by their family members, who came out in support of the participants."Lucknow was the epicentre of gay culture in the Gangetic plain which was evident in even its literature such as Umrao Jan Ada and was suppressed by the British. We are only keeping the tradition alive though the modern Indian political class is ashamed of it," Ashok Row Kavi, chairman of Humsafar Trust, told The Times of India.A lot of people were "surprised" at the size of the turnout. Kavi called the participation "fabulous".Rainbow flags fluttered on the streets of Awadh as a huge crowd marched for 1.5 km from Sikanderbagh Crossing to Gandhi Park at Hazratganj. People from Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Jaipur showed up to give Lucknow support And MAAAAAN were they dressed to kill This dude slayed And a LOT of fun was had At the end of the day though, their message was clear

Nandini Sinha

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

Russia claims fidget spinners are tools of opposition

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/18/russia-fidget-spinner-warning-opposition?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Russian state consumer watchdog has warned that fidget spinners are harmfully addictive to children and that they could make people vulnerable to messages of the political opposition. Claiming that using spinners could manipulate people, officials observed that "it is not by chance that they have started selling spinners" at opposition rallies.

Russia?s state consumer watchdog has warned that fidget spinners could be harmfully addictive, after state TV said the toys could make people susceptible to the messages of the political opposition.The watchdog said it had noted ?the aggressive promotion of so-called spinners around children and teenagers? and was aware of concern from parents and teachers.It said it would ask scientists to ?study the effects of the influence of spinners on children?s health, including possible negative consequences?.The announcement, accompanied by warnings not to buy spinners on the street and to check them for chemical smells, came after fearmongering over the toys on state television.A show called Virus on Rossiya 24 television on 12 July called spinners an ?instrument for zombifying? and a ?form of hypnosis?.Spinners ?often have a negative effect on the psyche and make a person susceptible to manipulation?, the presenter warned.?Possibly it is not by chance that they have started selling spinners? at opposition rallies, he added.The Life News pro-Kremlin news site on Tuesday ran a feature on ?Seven tragedies that happened to children because of spinners?, including a six-year-old boy who got one stuck on his finger.The move to check spinners prompted plenty of ridicule.?How would you check this? Make 1,000 children play with 1,000 spinners for 1,000 hours and then make them write a test?? wrote the video blogger and comedian Yury Khovansky on Twitter.The toys first became popular in the US this spring before hitting Europe. They have been banned at some schools in the US, France and Britain. Donald Trump?s son Barron was photographed playing with one last month as he descended the steps of Air Force One.

Tarun Khanna

05 Apr 2017,Wednesday

Man in Riyadh divorces wife in Hyd through newspaper ad

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/triple-talaq-hyderabad-man-divorces-wife-through-newspaper-ad/1/920519.html

A Hyderabad man, employed in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, announced 'talaq' (divorce) to his wife in an advertisement published in an Urdu daily on March 4. "If he was unhappy with me, he should have spoken with me once. He married me in front of all and should have divorced in front of all relatives," said the wife.

After numerous instances of talaq via email, Whatsapp, here comes another shocker of an incident wherein a man divorced his wife through an advertisement published in a newspaper. A Hyderabad man, who works at a bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, announced 'talaq' with his wife in an advertisement published in an Urdu daily on March 4. TALAQ ON WHATSAPPA New York based Indian divorced his wife in Hyderabad via Whatsapp following family disputes. The incident came to light on March 5.Hussain Quraishi sent her a Whatsapp message saying 'talaq' three times. His wife Mahreen said she has been continuously harassed by her in laws to leave the house.Hyderabad's Moghalpura police registered a case and arrested Hafeez and Atiya - the in-laws - and remanded them to jail.Mahreen Noor got married to Usman Qureshi, a senior analyst at Seven Heaven Medical Agency in 2015. Her sister-in-law, Heena Fatima, who is married to Usman's elder brother, Syed Fayazuddin, went through a divorce in a similar manner six months ago.'TRIPLE TALAQ IS CRUEL'Observing that the judicial conscience is 'disturbed', the Allahabad High Court in December, 2016, held that triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised a question whether the Muslim Personal law could be amended to alleviate the sufferings of Muslim women.Coming down heavily on the practice, the court has held that this form of 'instant divorce' is 'most demeaning' which 'impedes and drags India from becoming a nation'.TRIPLE TALAQ ISSUE IN SUPREME COURTThe Supreme Court is scheduled to hear pleas challenging the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims on May 11.A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said the matter will be heard by a Constitution bench during the summer vacation.On March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary.ALSO READ:

Daisy Mowke

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Cricket should have mixed team like tennis, suggests Akshay

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/akshay-kumar-has-an-idea-let-s-have-a-mixed-cricket-team-like-in-tennis/story-6H0gPXoNefo7ZhPB6fM4cP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Akshay Kumar has suggested having a mixed cricket team similar to mixed doubles in tennis. "[W]hy can't there be a men and women cricket match against another country? If this kind of a set-up happens, it'll be the biggest set-up ever," he added. Akshay further said the idea struck him when he was watching a Wimbledon match on his phone.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar attended the Women?s Cricket World Cup final at Lord?s cricket ground, London, on July 23. Although our women in blue couldn't lift the cup, they won everyone?s heart back home in India. This has given Akshay an idea: how about Indian men and women cricketers coming together to form one team??Like there are mixed doubles in tennis, why can?t there be a men and women cricket match against another country? Why can?t they have mixed cricket teams where six Indian men and six Indian women play against Australia?s six men and six women? If this kind of a set-up happens, it will be the biggest set-up ever,? says Akshay.The actor not only rooted for the Indian women?s team but also met them after the match. ?I was talking to the girls and one of them said that it would be so much fun if Virat Kohli ran from one side and a lady was on the other side [of the batting pitch],? he says. ?Even Broken Hearts Can Laugh!!? ?These Women have started a Revolution and I couldn't be more proud ?? #WWC17Final ? A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Jul 23, 2017 at 11:17am PDT How did the idea come to him? ?I was watching a Wimbledon [tennis] match on my phone recently and this idea just struck me,? he says, and adds laughing, ?On the train.?The actor, who has been training women in self-defence free of cost for the past three years, feels that the Indian women?s cricket team no longer needs to be seen as underdogs. ?Now they don?t require any [more] encouragement. Trust me, they have arrived. I watched them play and it was revolutionary. I met them and I told them that they had reasons to be sad but no reason to give up,? says Akshay.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Sumedha Sehra

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

16 Bills listed for introduction in Monsoon Session

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/monsoon-session-parliament-18-bills-19-sittings-womens-reservation-bill-code-on-wages-bill/1/1003184.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A total of 16 Bills have been listed for introduction in the Parliament's Monsoon Session, which will start tomorrow, and go on till August 11. Out of these bills, nine have been passed by the Lok Sabha, and await the Rajya Sabha's approval. The Bills include Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, and Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2017.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament begins today, the day when over 4,850 legislators will be casting their votes to elect the next President of India. Parliament will be in session till August 11 and hold 19 sittings during the period. According to the PRS Legislative Research, a total of 18 Bills have been listed for consideration and passing. While 16 Bills have been listed for introduction, consideration and passing, two are mentionedfor withdrawal.ALSO READ |

Sanira Mediratta

11 May 2017,Thursday

Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan's divorce finalised

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/arbaaz-khan-malaika-arora-divorced/1/951147.html

Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan were legally granted a divorce by the Bandra family court on Wednesday. The couple, who was married for 18 years, filed for divorce in November by mutual consent. The custody of their son Arhaan will reportedly remain with Malaika, while Arbaaz will have visitation rights whenever he wants.

Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan have finally ended their 18-year marriage. The legal proceedings are all over, and the Bandra family court today granted Malaika and Arbaaz a divorce.It was last November that Malaika and Arbaaz filed for a divorce by mutual consent. Over the last six months, the two actors have been spotted together on numerous occasions. Even yesterday, Malaika and Arbaaz were together along with their son Arhaan at Justin Bieber's concert at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai. The two went to the court too today in the same car.While Malaika has got custody of the couple's son Arhaan, Arbaaz has been granted visitation rights whenever he wants, says a report in Mid-Day. The ex-couple's lawyers Kranti Sathe and Amruta Sathe Pathak confirmed the news to the tabloid.Last year, after months of rumours that Malaika and Arbaaz's marriage was over, the two finally released an official statement declaring the same.In their joint statement, Malaika and Arbaaz said, "The truth is, we have taken a break, but that doesn't mean people can presume, assume and speculate things of such malicious nature. We are taking out time to figure out our lives... Yes, it's true that we are separated, but where our lives go and what transpires between us, it is for us to decide. Wherever it goes from here, we will talk about it when we are ready to.""We have got a child and our families are involved, but just because we have not said anything till now, it doesn't give anybody the license to speculate on any rubbish about us," added Malaika and Arbaaz.Months of rumours and speculation preceded Malaika and Arbaaz's announcement of separation. While some reports claimed that Malaika was seeing a UK-based businessman, fingers were pointed at Arjun Kapoor too for having caused a rift between the couple. There were rumours that Arjun Kapoor and Malaika were involved in an affair that led to the separation.However, in their joint statement, Malaika and Arbaaz clarified that too. They said, "We are not separated because of a third random person, like there were stories of a friendship between a businessman and Malaika. Nor was it about his family disapproving of her lifestyle, nor does she feel that her husband is not financially stable. She is not crying on her brother-in-law Salman's shoulders, asking him to help. They are our family, so please don't talk about them like that."

Rini Sinha

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Stars look their best even if tackling hell within: Sridevi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sridevi-heroines-have-to-look-their-best-even-if-they-are-going-through-hell/story-GaHhNtuDccI5DGhFTeXZ9H.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Sridevi has said that there's always pressure on actors to look good, even if they're not facing the camera. She added, "You better look your best, even if you are going through hell inside." Sridevi further said that if actors post natural pictures of themselves on social media, people leave comments like 'what is she looking like'.

Actor Sridevi?s has been one of the most enduring careers in Indian cinema, spanning Bollywood and regional film industries. That makes her ? acclaimed actor, glamorous star, box office queen of her heydays, and Padma Shri award winner ? the perfect person to say what it means to be a woman in this high-pressure industry. Since being a star is still a lot about one?s appearance, Sridevi says that it?s not an easy task for female actors to consistently maintain standards of perfection. They?re always under pressure to look good, even when they?re not on camera, she says. That pressure has only been increased by the age of social media.?If the actor is being herself, tired , with just a bun on and posts a picture on social media, then the comments will come. So many comments such as ?what is she looking like?, ?what chappal is she wearing?. Then as an actor you feel ,why give a chance to anyone to do that. You better look your best, even if you are going through hell inside,? says Sridevi, whose performance in her recently released film Mom has garnered appreciation.As for herself, Sridevi says that she managed to steer her career while keeping the pressures at bay. She enjoyed being a leading lady ? ?I got to wear different clothes, I got to do the best roles.? And she didn?t let box office numbers kill her sleep. ?If the picture does well, I?m surprised and happy; and if it doesn?t do well, then it?s part of your profession. You see what went wrong and try not to do the same mistake,? says Sridevi. The 53-year-old actor made a comeback after a 15-year-long sabbatical with English Vinglish, where she played the role of a middle-aged woman trying to learn English. Is taking up a relatable role a priority now? ?English Vinglish just came to me. It just fell in my lap. I was not consciously planning to pick up anything. When something comes to me and appeals to me, touches my heart and I feel for the character, I do it,? she says.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Tarun Khanna

02 Apr 2017,Sunday

For Kejriwal, EVM means Everyone Votes Modiji: BJP MP

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/for-kejriwal-evm-means-everyone-votes-modiji-harsh-vardhan/1/918476.html

BJP MP Harsh Vardhan has said that for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, EVM means "Everyone Votes Modiji", adding the AAP Convenor will soon demand the Election Commission be handed over to Delhi government. His remark came after Kejriwal alleged irregularities in EVMs over some reports that claimed the VVPAT machine dispensed slips of BJP on pressing other buttons on EVM.

New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) Union minister Harsh Vardhan today took a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his attack on EVMs and said for the AAP leader the voting machines means Everyone Votes (for) Modiji. The Union Minister for Science and Technology said Kejriwal will soon demand the Election Commission be handed over to the Delhi government. "For Arvind Kejriwal, EVM stands for Everyone Votes Modiji Im sure hell soon demand the Election Commission be handed over to Delhi gov?? (sic)," he tweeted. Harsh Vardhan, an MP from Chandni Chowk, was BJPs Delhi chief ministerial candidate. Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Election Commission to investigate cases of "faulty" EVMs and ascertain if their software can be tweaked "in favour of the BJP".

Chhavi Tyagi

23 Feb 2017,Thursday

Bihar MLA reaches Assembly with bruised knees wearing shorts

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-mla-vinay-bihari-lauriya-champaran/1/889554.html

BJP MLA from Lauria, Vinay Bihari, on Thursday reached the Bihar Assembly wearing vest and shorts with injury marks on his knees. He said that he was protesting for the non-construction of roads in his constituency and came travelling the distance by prostrating on road. Earlier, he had vowed not to wear kurta-pyjama until roads were constructed in his constituency.

BJP MLA from Lauria, Vinay Bihari today reached the Bihar Assembly in most unusual way and state.When he reached the Bihar Assembly, he was bruised with injury marks on his knees.He was wearing vest and shorts as he entered the Assembly today.This was a kind of individual protest march by Vinay Bihari, who is highlighting non-construction of roads in his constituency.Vinay Bihari said, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had assured him to construct road in his area but till now nothing has been done and therefore he took to this unique mode of protest."Vinay Bihari had taken a vow a few months back that unless roads were constructed in his constituency, he would not wear Kurta-Pyjama.

Tarun Khanna

03 Apr 2017,Monday

Army jawan arrested with 2 grenades at Srinagar airport

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/army-jawan-srinagar-airport-grenades-luggage-check-police/1/919090.html

An Army jawan carrying two grenades was arrested by the police on Monday at Srinagar airport. The jawan was about to board a flight to Delhi when grenades were found in his luggage. As per reports, the jawan has revealed that a Major in the Army had given him the grenades to hand them over to someone in Delhi.

An Army jawan carrying 2 grenades in his bag has been arrested by police at Srinagar International Airport. The jawan has been identified as Bhopal Mukhiya of JAK Rifles, is posted in the Uri sector.  The grenades were detected during the routine X-ray screening process of the luggage.   According to the police, the jawan was about to board a flight to Delhi when during luggage check, the two grenades were confiscated from his bag.Talking to India Today, Senior Superintendent of Police Manzoor Ahmad Dalal confirmed that two hand grenades used for training purposes were recovered from the luggage of the jawan. He said, "Hand grenades were detected outside the security checkpoint of Srinagar airport. These grenades are not explosive-laden as they are only used for training purposes." SOLDIER IN CUSTODY, MATTER BEING PROBEDHe was taken into custody after two hand grenades were recovered from his possession during search at the main gate of the airport, an official of the anti-hijacking force said.The matter is being investigated, Dalal added.Jawan belongs to Darjeeling and has accepted he was carrying grenades, says it was for causing blast in rivers to catch fish:Army SourcesOnly a day ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Chenani-Nashri tunnel near Udhampur in Jammu.Later yesterday, a policeman was killed and 14 security personnel injured in a grenade attack by militants in Srinagar.

Dishant Sharma

20 Jun 2017,Tuesday

ICC mulls scrapping Champions Trophy for an extra World T20

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/icc-world-t20s-champions-trophy-london-india-pakistan-cricket/1/982941.html

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executive David Richardson has revealed that Champions Trophy could be scrapped to make way for bi-annual World T20 events. "What we want to do is differentiate our global events from each other so that they can be stand-alone and create maximum interest every time the event happens," Richardson said.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson has revealed that Champions Trophy could be scrapped to make way for the World T20 every two years.India slumped to a crushing 180-run defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals Pakistan at the Kennington Oval on Sunday, with an estimated viewing audience in hundreds of millions.However, some officials argued that the recently-concluded eight-team marquee event is too similar to the World Cup, which the ICC has decided will be contested with just 10 teams from 2019 in England.And Richardson admitted that there should be some differentiation in global events and, therefore, the 2021 Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in India, is not guaranteed to go ahead, the Dawn reported."What we want to do is differentiate our global events from each other so that they can be standalone and create maximum interest every time the event happens," Richardson told reporters via telephonic conversation on the eve of the ICC's annual conference in London."At this stage, the next Champions Trophy is still scheduled for India in 2021. Whether that gets changed, the consideration has been given to changing to two T20s in a four-year cycle which would mean swapping the Champions Trophy for a World T20," he added.Richardson believes that World T20s attract a lot more attention than ODI tournaments and also generate significant revenue for the television companies.He further insisted that the idea is to give opportunities to more teams, hinting at the possibility of 20 teams featuring in World T20s in future.

Chhavi Tyagi

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

What is the order in which Indian citizens are listed?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/president-ram-nath-kovind-is-first-citizen-of-india-you-can-hope-to-be-citizen-number-27/1/1011340.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The President is the first citizen as per the Order of Precedence of the Republic of India, making Ram Nath Kovind the topmost national. The Vice President and the Prime Minister are the second and the third citizens of the country respectively. While Governors are the fourth citizens of India, former Presidents and Deputy PM are fifth on the list.

After taking the oath of office as the 14th President of India, Ram Nath Kovind is now the first citizen of the country. The vice-president, currently Hamid Ansari, is the second citizen of India as per the Order of Precedence of the Republic of India. Once the vice-presidential election is over in August, the second citizen will be either former Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu or Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi. This order is established by the President and maintained by the Prime Minister, who is number three in the list.In this Order of Precedence, you can at the best hope to be citizen number 27. We tell you how:Citizen No.1: PresidentCitizen No.2: Vice-PresidentCitizen No.3: Prime MinisterCitizen No.4: Governors (within their respective states)Citizen No.5: Former Presidents; 5A: Deputy Prime MinisterCitizen No.6: Chief Justice of India, Speaker of Lok SabhaCitizen No.7: Union cabinet ministers, Chief Ministers (within their respective States), Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog), Former Prime Ministers, Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha; 7A: Bharat Ratna awardeesCitizen No.8: Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries accredited to India, Chief Ministers(outside their respective states), Governors (outside their respective states)Citizen No.9: Judges of Supreme Court; 9A: Chairperson of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Chief Election Commissioner, Comptroller and Auditor General of IndiaCitizen No.10: Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chief Ministers, Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, Members of the Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog), Ministers of State (and any other minister in the Ministry of Defence for defence matters)Citizen No.11: Attorney General (AG), Cabinet Secretary, Lieutenant Governors (within their respective Union Territories)Citizen No.12: Chiefs of Staff holding the rank of full General or equivalent rank Citizen No.13: Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary accredited to IndiaCitizen No.14: Chairmen and Speakers of State Legislatures (within their respective states), Chief Justices of High Courts (within their respective jurisdictions)Citizen No.15: Cabinet Ministers in states (within their respective states), Chief Ministers of Union Territories and Chief Executive Councillor, Delhi (within their respective Union Territories), Deputy Ministers of the Union Citizen No.16: Officiating Chiefs of Staff holding the rank of Lieutenant General or equivalent rankCitizen No.17: Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal, Chairman of Minorities Commission, Chairperson of National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Chairperson of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Chief Justices of High Courts (outside their respective jurisdictions), Puisne Judges of High Courts (within their respective jurisdictions)Citizen No.18: Cabinet Ministers in states (outside their respective states), Chairmen and Speakers of State Legislatures (outside their respective states), Chairman of Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, Deputy Chairmen and Deputy Speakers of State Legislatures (within their respective states), Ministers of State in state governments (within their respective states), Ministers of Union Territories and Executive Councilors, Delhi (within their respective Union Territories)Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories and Chairman of Delhi Metropolitan Council within their respective Union Territories.Citizen No.19: Chief Commissioners of Union Territories not having councils of ministers, within their respective Union Territories Deputy Ministers in states (within their respective states), Deputy Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories and Deputy Chairman of Metropolitan Council Delhi, within their respective Union TerritoriesCitizen No.20: Deputy Chairmen and Deputy Speakers of State Legislatures, outside their respective statesMinisters of State in state governments (outside their respective states), Puisne Judges of High Courts (outside their respective jurisdictions) Citizen No.21: Members of ParliamentCitizen No.22: Deputy Ministers in state (outside their respective states)Citizen No.23: Army Commanders/ Vice-Chief of the Army Staff or equivalent in other servicesChief Secretaries to state governments (within their respective states)Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled TribesMembers of Minorities Commission, Members of National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Members of National Commission for Scheduled TribesOfficers of the rank of full General or equivalent rankSecretaries to the Government of India (including officers holding this office ex-officio)Secretary of Minorities Commission, Secretary of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes CommissionSecretary to the President Secretary to the Prime Minister Secretary, Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha Solicitor General, Vice-Chairman of Central Administrative TribunalCitizen No.24: Officers of the rank of Lieutenant General or equivalent rankCitizen No.25: Additional Secretaries to the Government of IndiaAdditional Solicitor General, Advocate Generals of StatesChairman of Tariff CommissionCharge d' Affairs and Acting High Commissioners a pied and ad interimChief Ministers of Union Territories and Chief Executive Councillor, Delhi (outside their respective Union Territories)Chief Secretaries of state governments outside their respective statesDeputy Comptroller and Auditor GeneralDeputy Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories and Deputy Chairman, Delhi Metropolitan Council (outside their respective Union Territories)Director of Central Bureau of Investigation, Director General of Border Security Force, Director General of Central Reserve Police, Director of Intelligence BureauLieutenant Governors (outside their respective Union Territories)Members of Central Administrative Tribunal, Members of Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, Members of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)Ministers of Union Territories and Executive Councillors, Delhi, outside their respective Union TerritoriesPrincipal Staff Officers of the Armed Forces of the rank of major General or equivalent rankSpeakers of Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories and Chairman of Delhi, Metropolitan Council, outside their respective Union Territories  Citizen No.26: Joint Secretaries to the Government of India and officers of equivalent rank, Officers of the rank of Major-General or equivalent rank Citizen No.27: You?(Source: Ministry of Home Affairs)ALSO READ:Full text: President Ram Nath Kovind's speech in Parliament

Shubhodeep Datta

28 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Murder accused shoot dead 18-yr-old witness in Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/murder-accused-shoot-witness-in-delhi-s-jahangirpuri/story-dN3MuVa2nPbFenffN8fB1M.html

Two murder accused, who had been absconding, allegedly shot dead an 18-year-old witness, Jeet, in Delhi?s Mahendra Park on Sunday night. As per reports, the two accused, along with three others, had murdered the victim's friend in June this year. Jeet was the complainant in the case and was to testify against the accused in the court.

Two murder accused shot dead an 18-year-old witness in northwest Delhi?s Mahendra Park on Sunday night.Police said the victim, Jeet, was returning home with his brother, Ajeet, after buying groceries when he was confronted by two men. The men, both accused in a murder case and had been absconding, stopped Jeet, snatched the groceries and before he could react, shot at him.The bullet first hit Jeet in the arm and he fell on the ground. When Ajeet tried to help his brother, he was also pushed to the ground. The duo then reportedly got up and started running on the road, but the accused fired two more shots, one of which hit Jeet in the spine.Milind Dumbere, DCP (Northwest) confirmed the incident and said the police have registered a case and formed teams to nab the men.Sources said the two accused along with three others, had murdered Jeet?s friend in June this year. Police said Jeet was also attacked during the murder. Jeet was the complainant in the case and was to testify against the accused in the court. The two men were earlier friends with Jeet but they had a fallout following which they tried to kill him and his friend. In that murder case, the police had managed to arrest three people but these two had been absconding.Ajeet told the police that he and Jeet were shouting for help but no one came to their rescue. After Jeet collapsed on the road when a bullet him him in the spine, the shooters came close to him and fired another shot in the abdomen. Following the incident, Jeet?s family went to the house of the suspects and set their jhuggi in Jahangirpuri A-block on fire. The locals also protested, demanding the arrest of the two men who had previously been involved in criminal cases.?Ajeet, a witness, stated that when he tried to intervene, the men threatened to shoot him and thrashed him. He also said that he and Jeet tried to flee, but the men chased them and gunned Jeet down,? a police officer said. ?He also told the police that Jeet was attacked by the two men earlier as well and he can identify them,? he said.Ajeet then rushed to his home and informed his family about the incident. The family then informed the police. A?police?van rushed Jeet to a nearby hospital but he had died on the spot.

Chhavi Tyagi

07 Feb 2017,Tuesday

Mumbai airport second-most efficient in the world: Govt

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-airport-second-most-efficient-after-heathrow-sinha/1/876902.html

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Tuesday said in the Rajya Sabha that Mumbai airport is widely considered as the second-most efficient airport in the world with as many landings and take-offs as Heathrow in the UK. "Our airports are second to none in terms of their efficiency in operations...Our airports are performing very efficiently," he added.

Aarushi Maheshwari

26 Apr 2017,Wednesday

Air India plane grounded after being hit by catering van

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/air-india-plane-grounded-after-being-hit-by-catering-van-at-igi-airport/story-JI1OzfoyPuoNi6XAPotBvO.html

An Air India flight was grounded after a catering van hit the door of an aircraft at Delhi Airport on Sunday morning, according to reports. Air India officials assessing the damage said the loss will run into lakhs. The flight was delayed by an hour, while the airport driving permit of the van's driver was seized.

In a freak incident, which delayed the Air India flight by an hour, a catering van hit the door of an ATR aircraft at Delhi?s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Sunday morning. Air India officials are assessing the damage and said that the loss will run into lakhs and the aircraft will also remain grounded till it is repaired.?The catering vehicle was returning after loading the food in the aircraft. While returning, it accidentally hit the back door on right side just 20 minutes before the departure. The driver was taken for medical checkup but he was not drunk. His airport driving permit has been seized by the airport operator,? said an airport source.About 70 passengers, who were to fly to Gorakhpur by the aircraft, and were ready to board, had to wait for another hour. The flight, which was scheduled to take off at 9:45 am, took off at 10:45 am. The passengers were shifted to a different aircraft.?The vehicle hit the service gate and it is completely damaged now. Our engineering team is assessing the damage and will have to order the parts. We might have to import some parts. Till the door is repaired, we will manage the operations by tweaking the schedule,? the official added.The vehicle was of a ground handling company. No police case has been filed but an internal enquiry is being conducted since at the airside, vehicles allowed to move at a certain speed and in most of the occasions, they are asked to seek direction from follow me vehicle.

Daisy Mowke

26 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Kendrick Lamar's Humble receives most nominations at MTV VMA

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/25/mtv-vmas-kendrick-lamar-nongendered-categories?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Rapper Kendrick Lamar received eight nominations for his music video 'Humble' at the MTV Video Music Award this year. He was followed by The Weeknd and Katy Perry, who received five nominations each. Notably, MTV has eliminated gendered categories for the Video Music Awards, similar to that of its Movie Awards which were held earlier this year.

MTV has announced the nominees for the 2017 Video Music Awards, eliminating the gendered categories of years past and combining the awards for best male and female video into one category, artist of the year.The rapper Kendrick Lamar led the pack with eight nominations for the music video for Humble, while the Weeknd and Katy Perry were not far behind with five nods each. The nominees for the evening?s top prize, artist of the year, are Lamar, the Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Lorde.The awards ceremony, which will take place on 27 August at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and will air on MTV that night, has always been a haven of controversy, having played host to some of the most infamous pop culture moments of the past decade, including Britney Spears? and Madonna?s notorious onstage kiss and Miley Cyrus?s risque 2013 performance with Robin Thicke.For its movie and TV awards, which aired in May, MTV decided to combine the categories of best actor and actress, doing away with distinctions between genders and opting instead to award one film and one television actor. This year?s winners were Emma Watson and Millie Bobby Brown.At the time, MTV general manager Amy Doyle told the Hollywood Reporter: ?Great acting is great acting, no matter what the gender or non-gender. And it really is reflective about the audience?s views and when you look at the culture as a whole, you had a man against a woman running for president [last year]. It just felt like a dated construct for a category.?Rihanna also earned several nominations for Wild Thoughts, her collaboration with DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller, while SZA and Kodak Black were both nominated for best new artist. The VMAs also introduced a new category ? best fight against the system ? awarding music videos that ?inspire viewers to stand up and fight injustice?. In that category, Logic, Alessia Cara, John Legend, Big Sean and the Hamilton Mixtape all earned nominations.At the 2016 VMAs, Beyoncé went home with eight awards from 11 nominations, while Rihanna was awarded the video vanguard award after performing a medley of her hits.

Sonu Kumari

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

Drunk man kills dog by standing on it for an hour in Noida

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/noida-drunk-man-kills-stray-dog-by-standing-on-it-for-over-an-hour/story-4Htp1qVEwRYgw14zcP8Q0N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An allegedly drunk man on Friday strangled a street dog to death by standing on its neck and mouth for about an hour in Noida's Sector 45. "He was adamant to kill the animal, as it barked at him," an eyewitness who shot video of the incident said. Animals rights groups said they will lodge a complaint against the man.

A person was caught in camera allegedly strangling a street dog to death with his feet in Noida?s Sector 45 on Friday night.The man, who was allegedly drunk, stood with his feet pressing the dog?s neck and mouth onto the road for about an hour and only moved after the dog breathed its last.The 18-sec video clip shot by a passerby shows the man standing on the dog, pressing the dog?s mouth and neck onto the ground with one foot and holding its hind legs with another foot.One of the eyewitnesses, who shot the video in his cell phone camera, told Hindustan Times, that man was heavily drunk and pressed the dog to the ground with his feet for about an hour, before it died. The incident took place at Som Bazaar in Noida Sector 45 between 9pm and 10 pm on Friday night. The eyewitness, said, ?The man in question is an ex-army person and voluntarily worked as a traffic marshal along with Gautam Budh Nagar police in Noida.?He said people who passed made several ?appeals? to the man, but he did not get off the dog.?He stood on the dog with his feet making the animal immovable. When people asked to leave the dog he quarrelled with them and did not move. He was adamant to kill the animal, as it barked at him,? he said.Meanwhile, the People for Animals representative in Noida on Saturday have taken cognizance on the matter and approached the police to register a complaint in the matter under prevention of cruelty against animals.Ashima Sunil, the president of the group in Ghaziabad, said, ?It is really a brutal act. I had spoken to station in-charge of Sector 39 police station and a case will be soon lodged against the errant person.?Ajay Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Sector 39 police station, said, ?We have been informed about such an incident by representatives of People for Animals. We shall establish the authenticity of the video and investigate into the matter further.?

Prashanti Moktan

24 Feb 2017,Friday

Bachchan turns down rare invitation from Queen Elizabeth II

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amitabh-bachchan-no-invitation-queen-elizabeth/1/890801.html

Amitabh Bachchan has turned down a rare invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to attend the reception of UK-India Year Of Culture, which is towards the end of this month. Bachchan's publicist said that the actor had to refuse the invite owing to prior commitments. He is said to be busy with the trailer launch of his upcoming film 'Sarkar 3'.

Amitabh Bachchan will not be able to attend the reception of UK-India Year of Culture, a "rare invitation", which was sent to the megastar by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.Amitabh was invited by the royals for a special reception to launch the UK-India Year of Culture later this month. His publicist said in a statement, "Yes, Mr Bachchan has been given a rare invitation by Queen Elizabeth and Buckingham Palace to grace the UK-India Year Of Culture reception, but unfortunately due to prior commitments, he will be unable to attend."Currently, the actor is gearing up for the launch of Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar 3 trailer, scheduled for the first week of March.His upcoming projects include Ayan Mukerji's tentatively-titled film Dragon that will see him alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Kabir Khan's production Thugs Of Hindostan where he is working with Aamir Khan and Aankhen 2, that will see him working with Arjun Rampal and Anil Kapoor.

Shubhodeep Datta

05 May 2017,Friday

What did Supreme Court say in the Nirbhaya case judgement?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/what-supreme-court-judges-said-in-nirbhaya-gangrape-verdict/1/946662.html

While upholding the convicts' death penalty in the Nirbhaya gangrape case, the Supreme Court said the case seemed like "a story from a different world" where humanity was treated without respect. The court asserted the need for death penalty while remarking if the dreadfulness displayed by the convicts didn't fall in the 'rarest of rare category', then what else will.

The Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence meted out to the four adult men in the December 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. A three-judge bench of Justices Dipak Misra, R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan dismissed the rapists' challenge of the Delhi High Court verdict. The Supreme Court judgement, as well as separate concurring judgements by Justices Misra and Banumathi, explained the reasoning behind the apex court upholding the death penalty, and said that if the brutal 2012 gangrape and murder did not fall under the rarest of rare category then "one may wonder what else would fall in that category." Those convicts on the death row, Mukesh (29), Pawan (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Singh (31), plan to file a review petition challenging today's Supreme Court verdict. ALSO READ:

Abhishek Bansal

02 May 2017,Tuesday

Army kills 7 Pakistani soldiers, destroys 2 bunkers: Reports

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-army-pakistan-bunkers-destroyed-soldiers-killed-loc-poonch/1/943208.html

After the Pakistani forces mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers, the Army on Monday killed seven Pakistani soldiers, according to reports. Two Pakistani bunkers were also destroyed in the retaliation by the Indian Army, reports added. Earlier, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had said the armed forces will "react appropriately" to Pakistan's "barbaric act".

In a strong message to Pakistan army which killed two Indian soldiers and mutilated their bodies, the Indian army tonight destroyed two Pakistani bunkers and killed seven of their soldiers.The reports said two Pakistani bunkers were destroyed.About five to eight Pakistani Army soldiers of 647 Mujahideen battalion were  in one post.Both posts have been destroyed and seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in the Indian action.Earlier in the day, Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT), which comprises the special forces, killed two Indian soldiers under the cover of shelling by Pakistani troops in Krishna Ghati Sector in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.The army issued a statement saying that the bodies of an army soldier and a BSF head constable were mutilated but a senior army officer told PTI that they were beheaded.The BAT team had set up an ambush to target the patrol party of the Indian soldiers while the Pakistan Army engaged two Indian forward defence locations (FDL) with rockets and mortar bombs, the officials said.After the incident, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had warned Pakistan that the Indian Army will retaliate."Their bodies were mutilated by our neighbours. This is a reprehensive and an inhuman act. Such acts don't even take place during war, let alone peace," Jaitley said.Stating that the sacrifices of the soldiers will not go in vain, he said the armed forces will appropriately react to this extreme form of barbaric act.Hours later, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had also reached Srinagar to assess the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Army Chief General #BipinRawat reaches Kashmir. #LoCAttack, #Mutilationpic.twitter.com/CyRGQzTM60Also read:Pakistan mutilates bodies of 2 Indian soldiers near LoC, Army pounds Pak posts in retaliationAs Pakistan mutilates 2 Indian soldiers, another round of Army's surgical strikes invoked as revenge

Niharika Prabhakar

23 Jul 2017,Sunday

Home Science may become mandatory for boys in school

http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/gender-sensitivity-wcd-proposes-mandatory-home-science-for-boys-in-school/story-iY5LfXraFzCaP20hzzBNQO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Women and Child Development Ministry has proposed that it should be compulsory for both boys and girls to study home science and physical education in school, in order to promote gender sensitivity. The ministry reportedly made several other recommendations aimed at redefining gender roles starting at a young age and creating new employment opportunities for women.

Boys may have to compulsorily study home science at schools if a draft proposal prepared by the Women and Child Development Ministry is approved by the Union Cabinet.The draft National Policy for Women, 2017, approved recently by a group of ministers has been sent to the Cabinet, according to a ministry spokesperson.The draft makes several recommendations seemingly aimed at redefining gender roles starting at a young age, creating new employment opportunities for women as well as providing tax relief to them.The draft policy proposes that the HRD Ministry redesign school curriculum to promote gender sensitivity as well as make home science and physical education compulsory for both girls and boys.It also seeks to encourage working women and proposes pay parity, tax exemption for women-only organisations, mandatory daycare centres in corporates and commercial zones as well as housing complexes.The proposal also offers tax relief to widows and divorced women.The draft policy also recommends promoting women drivers for school buses, a move that is not only likely to generate employment opportunities for women but also expected to curb sexual crimes against school students.The policy is being revised after a gap of more than 15 years. The last policy came in 2001.An initial draft was first issued in May 2016 following which the Prime Minister?s Office (PMO) constituted a group of ministers, which suggested some changes.Making the initial draft public last year, WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi had said the aim of the government was to shift from entitlements to rights and from empowerment to creating an enabling environment for women.

Mansha Mahajan

06 Jul 2017,Thursday

Customers should report fraud in 3 days to avoid losses: RBI

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/customers-should-report-fraud-in-3-days-to-avoid-losses-rbi/1/995836.html

Customers will not suffer any loss if unauthorised electronic banking transactions are reported within three days, according to RBI. Further, the amount involved will be credited to the accounts concerned within 10 days. These rules will be applicable for third-party breaches, where the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system.

Customers will not suffer any loss if unauthorised electronic banking transactions are reported within three days and the amount involved will be credited in the accounts concerned within 10-days, the Reserve Bank said on Thursday. In case the third party fraud is reported with a delay of four to seven working days, a customer will face liability of up to Rs 25,000. However, in cases where the loss is due to negligence by the account holder (such as sharing of payment credentials), the customer will bear the entire loss until the unauthorised transaction is reported to the bank. Any loss occurring after reporting of the unauthorised transaction will be borne by the bank, RBI said while issuing revised directions on Customer Protection Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions. RBI said the revised directions are being issued amidst recent surge in customer grievances relating to unauthorised transactions resulting in debits to their accounts/cards. REPORT FRAUD WITHIN 7 DAYS OR ELSE...There will be "zero liability of a customer" in case of third party breach where the deficiency lies "neither with the bank nor with the customer but lies elsewhere in the system". However, the customer will have to notify the bank within three working days of receiving the communication from the bank regarding the unauthorised transaction. A customer's entitlement to zero liability will also arise where the unauthorised transaction occurs due to "contributory fraud/negligence/deficiency on the part of the bank (irrespective of whether or not the transaction is reported by the customer)", RBI said. The maximum liability of a customer will be Rs 25,000 in cases where the responsibility for the unauthorised electronic banking transaction lies neither with the bank nor with the customer, but lies elsewhere in the system and when there is a delay of four to seven working days. If the fraud is report after seven days, the customer liability will be determined as per the bank's board approved policy. The maximum liability of a savings bank account customer will be Rs 10,000 in such cases. Referring to reversal timeline for Zero Liability/ Limited Liability of customer, RBI said the bank should credit (shadow reversal) the amount involved in the unauthorised electronic transaction to the customer's account within 10 working days of reporting of the fraud. This has to be done without waiting for settlement of insurance claim, if any, RBI added. RBI further said that banks must ask their customers to mandatorily register for SMS alerts and wherever available register for e-mail alerts, for electronic banking transactions.

Rini Sinha

11 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Kamya claims hackers removed her 'backless' Instagram pic

http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/kamya-panjabi-s-bare-back-pic-goes-missing-from-instagram-actor-says-account-hacked/story-e0QKmLM295n9J15oEtJZnI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Television actress Kamya Punjabi has claimed in a tweet that hackers removed a 'backless' picture of hers from Instagram. In the picture, Kamya can be seen posing with a lipstick to promote the film 'Lipstick Under My Burkha'. She tweeted, "Never posted something I never believed in. Never took off something that I once posted... Happy hacking!"n

Kamya Panjabi, much like her colleagues in the television industry, extended her support to Ekta Kapoor?s Lipstick Under My Burkha, on social media. She posted a bare back picture and captioned it: ?They Said that don?t be that woman ?The that other woman..the divorced woman .. the single mother woman .. But I am that woman ..Every time I put in my lipstick on, I smile. because I am being true to myself . Whether the world agrees or not I have made my own don?t.. Don?t you??However, after a few hours, the picture was deleted from her account and that led to speculation that she?s backed out from the campaign for the film and that she changed her mind about the bold photo. To end all doubt, Kamya took to Twitter to reveal that her account was hacked and the hacker deleted the photo, as till date she has never removed any posts from her account. As per sources, she will take the help of police to find out about the hacker.As per Kamya, this is the photo that the hacker removed from her account.Kamya gave out details about what happened. ?Open the app. Picture has been removed. News articles claiming my unsure mind led to impulsive upload of nudity and hence took it off. Never posted something I never believed in. Never took off something I once posted. Wore my heart and scares on my sleeves with pride. Happy hacking happy hating.? She even put a hastag, ?I know you know my password?. When contacted, the actor said that she has already given out all the details on Twitter and doesn?t want to talk more about this.I did not take off a bare piece of clothing off my back. I bared the innermost corners of my soul...!!! #iknowUknowmypassword ?#instagram pic.twitter.com/OnDyM7Oj9q? Kamya Punjabi (@iamkamyapunjabi) July 10, 2017This is not the first time an actor?s account on the photo sharing app has been hacked. Early this year, Nia Sharma?s Instagram account was hacked and she had reported it to the cyber cell. In Bollywood, actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar and Shruti Haasan also faced the same thing. Dinner with my winner....!!!! A post shared by Kamya Panjabi (@panjabikamya) on Feb 10, 2017 at 11:12am PST Kamya, currently seen as Preeto in Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, is reportedly in a relationship with Bigg Boss season 10 winner Manveer Gurjar. She recently posted a photo with Manveer and captioned it: ?very special someone?. For those who are not in the know, Kamya met Manveer on Bigg Boss when she was invited as a guest. Kamya praised him and even predicted that he might take the trophy home.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Ayushi Ahluwalia

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Fake luxury watches worth ?10 cr seized at Delhi airport

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/fake-rado-watches-cameras-sunglasses-worth-rs-4cr-seized-at-delhi-s-igi-airport/story-GqNHAq88lOCzpUnTcLqGNI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Several copies of Rado watches, sunglasses, and cameras worth ?10 crore were seized on Thursday by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. While original Rado watches cost over ?1 lakh, the copies seized were meant to be sold in the market for ?4,000-5,000. The consignment from China was to be received in Delhi.

They look like premium Rado watches at first glance, only they are not. Several first copies of the high-end watches were seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at cargo complex of Delhi?s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The watches were part of a consignment coming from China. The consignment also carried huge quantity of cameras, sunglasses and mobile accessories worth Rs 10 crore.Original Rado watches cost over a lakh and the copes seized by DRI were meant to be sold in the market for Rs 4,000-5,000. ?Based on a specific input, we intercepted a consignment at the cargo complex. Though the sender had declared it as cosmetics and other daily use items, when opened, watches, shoes, pen drives, memory cards and other mobile accessories were found in huge quantities,? a DRI official said.The seizure was made on Thursday, but the DRI is still counting the number of watches and evaluation is on. ?Though it is a first copy, the demand is huge in Indian market. One watch can be sold from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000. There are different models,? the official added. DRI is now trying to trace the smuggler who wrongly declared the content. The consignment had come from China and was to be received in Delhi. DRI is trying to trace the receiver through the details given in the consignment. Officials said other items in the consignment, including shoes and sunglasses, seem to be original but DRI is taking help of the companies to check their originality.

Pragya Swastik

18 Jan 2017,Wednesday

Man gets ?70,000 in place of ?3,500 from ATM in Rajasthan

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/atm-rains-cash-man-in-rajasthan-asks-for-rs-3500-gets-rs-70k/story-CQfx1ksQC8Fw4F3eyCWsOL.html?home-dont-miss

A man mistakenly received ?70,000 instead of ?3,500 from a Bank of Baroda ATM in Rajasthan's Tonk town on Tuesday. Around 10 people are believed to have received extra cash from the ATM, which an official said, was malfunctioning after ?2,000 notes were stored in ?100 notes slot. The ATM dispensed ?6.76 lakh cash before it was shut down.

The whir of the ATM machine sounded very reassuring for Jitesh Diwakar, a resident of Tonk in Rajasthan. But he was not prepared for what followed ? an avalanche of cash for Diwakar who got Rs 70,000 in place of just Rs 3,500 he had typed in.Diwakar was among several people who turned richer after a malfunctioning ATM rained cash on Tuesday evening at the Rajasthan town, about 80 km from capital Jaipur.But he was the only person who chose to inform the Bank of Baroda about the malfunctioning cash-dispensing machine ? all others before him went home with extra cash, thanking their lucky stars.?I immediately called my father who arrived with my uncle and we informed the bank manager,? Diwakar said.By the time bank officials shut down the ATM near the collector?s office, it had dispensed Rs 6.76 lakh. And 10-odd people are believed to have got excess cash when the ATM gave out 2000-rupee notes in place of 100-rupee-notes.Tonk Harishankar Meena, chief manager of the bank?s collectorate circle, said 2000-rupee notes were loaded in the slot meant for 100-rupee notes, resulting in the malfunction.Following the shock recall of high-value banknotes in November, banks have recalibrated two lakh-odd ATMs across the country to dispense the newly-designed Rs 2000 and Rs 500 notes. However, ATM glitches have been reported from several parts of the country over the past two months.?Technically, Rs 2,000 notes cannot be loaded in the Rs 100 cassette as the sensors won?t accept it. That?s why we have called technical experts to investigate how this happened,? Meena said.He said the bank will lodge a complaint with police against the people who took away the excess cash and that efforts were on to identify them.?Out of all these people, only one person contacted and brought the matter to our notice. We have taken a back-up of the ATM machine (records) from which we will get information of the people who withdrew money in these two hours. After tracking them we will ask them to return the extra money,? said Meena.??Local shopkeepers told me that people coming to the ATM were suddenly leaving very happy? and smiling,? Meena told HT.

Parmeet Kaur

13 Jul 2017,Thursday

Police constable shot at in Delhi road rage incident

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/road-rage-in-delhi-cops-shot-at-and-thrashed-accused-boasts-of-being-a-gangster/story-ENHYxQS3rxm7asj8ATj4tJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An off-duty Delhi Police constable was shot at and another was hit with a pistol butt by a man who claimed to be a gangster, in front of a housing colony in Narela on Wednesday night. The incident happened after the two constables who were in their private vehicle asked the accused to move his car, which reportedly angered him.

An off-duty Delhi police constable was shot at and another was hit with a pistol butt in a case of road rage in Narela on Wednesday night. The victims have been admitted to a city hospital and hunt is on for the accused. The incident took place in front of the main gate of a housing colony in Narela when the two men ? Constable Pawan Kumar and constable Vikash ? who were in their private vehicle asked a man in a Fortuner to move his car. ?This angered the driver. He took out a pistol and shot Pawan in his leg. He hit the second constable with the pistol butt,? said DCP Rohini Rishi Pal. The driver also boasted that he is gangster Monu Dabodia. Police suspect that the accused could be related to slain gangster Neetu Dabodia who was in the list of top Delhi criminals. Neetu Dabodia was killed in a police encounter in south Delhi in October, 2013. One of the constables is a resident of the Narela housing society where the incident took place. Eyewitnesses told police that the Fortuner car had stopped at the gate of the society and the driver was asking for directions. Constables Pawan and Vikash also reached the spot in their car and honked asking the Fortuner driver to give them way. Police said the driver in the Fortuner flew into rage and attacked the two men. Police said they have traced the car?s registration details and are probing the identity of the attacker. Constable Pawan Kumar is posted with the armed police unit while Vikash is posted at Narela police station. Police have registered a case at Narela police station and are yet to make any arrests in the case.

Sonu Kumari

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

?1L for pregnant women to expose sex determination centres

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/wanted-pregnant-women-to-expose-illegal-sex-determination-centres-perks-rs-1-lakh/story-hSBpBQJScMNER1oC2MXkaP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Ghaziabad health department is reportedly planning to give ?1 lakh under three instalments to pregnant women who act as informers and help expose sex determination centres across Uttar Pradesh. An official said that in order to be eligible for the amount, the informer will have to give an undertaking that she won't abort the child if it was a girl.

The Ghaziabad district health department is scouting for pregnant women who can act as ?mukhbirs? (informers) and play a crucial role in cracking down on sex determination centres across Uttar Pradesh.The women can help identify on such centres and lead ?decoy operations?. There are incentives in three phases, starting from the point where the FIR is lodged to the stage where the court pronounces a judgment.The ?mukhbir? initiative was launched by chief minister Yogi Adityanath to improve the state?s skewed sex ratio. ?We need help from women who are four months pregnant and can help us get information about the sex determination centres. They can be accompanied by family members or relatives. The accompanying person will also be eligible for the incentive,? said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer, Ghaziabad.The women used as a decoy will be eligible for an incentive of Rs 1 lakh under three installments. The first installment of Rs 30,000 will be given when she conducts a sex determination test and shares the information, which will be verified by officials.?For the woman to be eligible for the first instalment, she will have to give an undertaking that she will not abort the child if it is found to be a girl. This becomes mandatory to protect the unborn child. The information about the informer and the operation will be kept secret,? Gupta added.If it is found that the informers are making it a means to earn money or giving wrong information, they would be blacklisted, Gupta said.The second installment of Rs 30,000 will be paid after the woman gives her statement before the court. The balance amount of Rs 40,000 will be paid up once the court pronounces its judgment. The person accompanying the informer woman to the ?illegal? sex-determination centre will be paid Rs 10,000 each as first and second installments and Rs 20,000 in the third stage. The person could be her husband, a family member or a relative.In Ghaziabad, officials of the Haryana health department successfully conducted several decoy operations, using pregnant women, to unearth illegal sex-determination centres in Ghaziabad. Such operations were carried out in June at Loni and also at Nandgram in July earlier this month.The officials said the scheme was launched under the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act. District and state level committees will monitor the progress on a regular basis.

Shubhodeep Datta

22 Dec 2016,Thursday

Delhi Metro's upcoming stations to get art panels

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/upcoming-delhi-metro-stations-to-be-a-visual-treat-for-commuters/story-ZXMpzFfxAdfPGwhxrCUDEI.html

Life-size artworks, glossy walls, and a unique honeycomb design for ventilation will be featured at stations of Delhi Metro?s upcoming new corridors Pink Line and Magenta Line. The stations at these corridors will have interiors covered in artworks that are a combination of paintings and photographs. The first such artwork was installed at the Bhikaji Cama Place station this week.

Life-size artworks, glossy walls and a unique ?honeycomb? design for ventilation will be featured at stations of Delhi Metro?s upcoming new corridors ? Pink Line (Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar) and Magenta Line (Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West). The stations at these two corridors will have their interiors covered completely in artworks that are a combination of paintings and photographs. These artworks are being reproduced on toughened glass so that walls inside the stations have a glossy effect ? a departure from the pale yellow and grey walls of the existing stations that have no visual appeal.First such artwork was installed at the Bhikaji Cama Place station on the Pink Line this week. Next in line is the Lajpat Nagar station. Officials said each station will get 26 to 37 artworks. Beside these two, nine more stations on this 59-km-long line will display original works of artists from across the country. These stations are Shalimar Bagh, Netaji Subhash Place, Naraina, Sarojini Nagar, INA, South Extension, Vinoba Puri, Ashram and Hazrat Nizamuddin.Until now, most of the existing artworks are installed at the underground stations. However, on the new lines, the focus is to improve the look of the elevated corridors. ?Phase 3 stations will have a different and fresh look with bright colours. The aim is to fill most of the interior walls at the concourse levels with paintings and photographs,? a metro official said.On the Magenta Line, the stations have been re-designed where instead of the traditional walls and windows, the concourse and platforms will be made of cemented honeycomb design for enhanced ventilation. ?The station will be covered with jaali-like walls to allow more light and ventilation into the concourse. The entry stairs and concourse to platform stairs will have perforated metal sheet cladding which will give a sense of security to the commuters,? the official added.While paintings and photographs are being digitally printed on glass which will be fixed as panels on walls, all of them are also fireproof. ?For the first time, DMRC invited applications from interested artists to send their original works. In response, 654 images were received from 50 artists across India. A committee, comprising five members including artist members from Delhi College of Art and Lalit Kala Academy, shortlisted 365 images and 36 artists which were found suitable for display on nine Metro stations,? another official said.Earlier this year, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had unveiled interior designs for stations on the Heritage Line (Central Secretariat ? Kashmere Gate). Stations on the short 5.17-km stretch will have three-dimensional (3D) panels that will depict glory of the bygone era at Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Lal Quila and Kashmere Gate.

Aarushi Maheshwari

21 Jan 2017,Saturday

UK boss gives staff castle office with ice cave, ski lodge

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uk-boss-gives-staff-castle-office-free-beer-in-house-cinema/1/861402.html

Money.co.uk founder Chris Morling spent £3 million (?25.3 crore) to build an office which features an ice cave, ski lodge, Star Wars-themed movie theatre, and gaming arcade. The office, based in a Victorian castle in England, features Rolling Stones-themed bathrooms and a yoga studio. His staff, paid up to £500,000 a year, are also sent on annual all-expenses paid trips.

London, Jan 19 (PTI) The head of a website has been dubbed Britains best boss after he splurged a whopping three million pounds to create a dream castle office for his employees complete with a Star Wars-themed cinema, gaming arcade, yoga studio along with an "ice cave" for meetings. Chris Morling, founder of Money.co.uk, spent 3 million pounds on renovation of his office with impressive designing by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Morling envisioned this style of workplace to keep his 50-strong staff "entertained and engaged" and to help attract the creme de la creme of the industry, The Sun reported. The spectacular building stands on the Bathurst Estate in Cirencester, East Gloucestershire. Based in a Victorian castle on the Bathurst Estate, other on-site luxuries include a weights gym, yoga studio and staff also enjoy free weekly sport matches -- which the boss himself gets involved in. Knowing it would be a tall order to convince future employees to work outside of the capital, Morling knew he had to offer them some unusual perks. And what better way to spice up a boring meeting than having it in an ice cave and ski lodge -- or a perfectly stylish library. Even the bathrooms are designed with Rolling Stones and Steam Punk influences to make going to the toilet as exciting as it possibly can be. And if employees are feeling hungry, there is free breakfast in the kitchen, complete with a pinball machine, PS4, pool table and football table. If that is not enough, all staff are treated to an all-expenses-paid mini break abroad each year to destinations such as Florida, New York, Budapest, Dubrovnik and Copenhagen.

Parmeet Kaur

21 Jul 2017,Friday

NDMC seeks Le Meridien's eviction over ?523 cr unpaid dues

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/ndmc-moves-delhi-court-to-evict-le-meridien-over-non-payment-of-rs-523-crore/story-mmxTNrtakg2Iw2UOMrAO6K.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has sought an eviction order against the Le Meridien hotel. This comes after NDMC cancelled Le Meridien's licence in March this year over non-payment of license fees amounting to ?523 crore that have accumulated over 30 years. Earlier, NDMC had ordered action against four officials over alleged irregularities in the recovery of dues.

A little over four months after the New Delhi Municipal Council cancelled the licence of Le Meridien hotel over alleged non-payment of dues, the council has moved the estate officer?s court for an eviction order.According to a senior NDMC official, this is the next course of action under the public premises act (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants Act) 1971.The estate officer?s court, which is designated by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, will conduct the hearing that could take four to five months.?They will seek the hotel?s comments, hear arguments and ultimately pass an order. If the order goes against any party (the hotel or NDMC), they can appeal within 12 days at the district court,? the official said.The NDMC had earlier ordered action against four of its officials over alleged irregularities in the recovery of dues that the five-star hotel owed the civic body. HT had earlier reported how the civic body in its report to the ministry of home affairs recommended major penalties against the officials. In March this year, the luxury hotel?s licence was cancelled by the NDMC over non-payment of dues to the tune of Rs 523 crore.The four have been accused of lowering the dues amount by diluting a formula (to calculate dues) ordered by high court. The four officers mentioned in the report are the then director estate, one deputy director estate, a senior accounts officer and a senior assistant. According to a senior council official, a committee ? including chief vigilance officer, director vigilance, director personnel, secretary, financial advisor and director estate ? conducted the internal probe. In March this year, the council decided to act against Le Meridien over non-payment of licence fees pending for three decades. ?The dispute has been going on since 1982. Till date, the total amount owed by them has accumulated to around Rs 523 crore. Now, in accordance with the Public Premises Eviction Act-1971, the matter is being referred to the NDMC estate officer and the hotel has been declared as an unauthorized occupant. The estate officer will take the final call in this regard,? he said.A spokesperson for Le Meridien, when contacted, said, ?The matter is sub judice, so we would not like to comment on it?.

Daisy Mowke

21 Jul 2017,Friday

Want to auction guitar gifted by SRK for charity: Pritam

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/jab-harry-met-sejal-pritam-auctions-guitar-gifted-by-shah-rukh-khan/story-QZ6TKUV1ogCLMW9zLxEHBP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Music composer-singer Pritam has said he'd want to auction a guitar gifted to him by Shah Rukh Khan for charity. SRK wrote on Instagram that he gifted it to Pritam before Jab Harry Met Sejal's shooting and Pritam gifted him the film's "beautiful music" in return. "To pass on the goodness, I'd put this on auction for charity," commented Pritam.

Shah Rukh Khan has gifted Pritam Chakraborty a guitar for making music for his forthcoming film Jab Harry Met Sejal. The composer said he has put the gift on auction for charity.Shah Rukh shared a photograph of himself on Twitter along with Pritam posing with the guitar, which had the poster of the Imtiaz Ali?s directorial printed behind it. ?This guitar has had a ?Safar? of its own. Gave it to Pritam before the film and he gifted me the beautiful music of ?Jab Harry Met Sejal? in return,? Shah Rukh captioned the image. In reply, Pritam tweeted, ?Thank you sir! This gift is extremely special to me just like Jab Harry Met Sejal music. To pass on the goodness, I?d put this on auction for charity.?Pritam has composed songs like Safar and Radha for the film. Jab Harry Met Sejal is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. It will showcase Anushka Sharma essaying the role of a Gujarati girl named Sejal Jhaveri, while Shah Rukh plays a Punjabi guy named Harinder Singh Nehra. The film is all set to release on August 4.

Vani Vivek

18 Mar 2017,Saturday

McDonald's denies leaking data of 22 lakh Indian customers

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mcdonalds-rejects-data-leak-of-its-customers-in-india/1/907201.html

McDonald's has denied reports that financial details of 22 lakh of its Indian customers had been leaked by the company. "Our website and app does not store... credit card details, wallets passwords or bank account information," said a McDonald's spokesperson. However, the spokesperson urged users to update the McDelivery app on their phones as a "precautionary measure."

New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) Fastfood major McDonalds today assured its customers that its website and app does not store the financial data after an independent blog claimed that the company is leaking personal data of more than 2.2 million users.

Dishant Sharma

14 Mar 2017,Tuesday

Kohli's captaincy is iron-fisted dictatorship: Shane Watson

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/virat-kohli-shane-watson-daily-telegraph-india-vs-australia/1/903596.html

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who has played alongside Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, has said that the Indian skipper's captaincy is like an iron-fisted dictatorship. Watson also said that he admires the way Kohli rallies behind his troops on the field and how he expects the best from the team just like he does from himself.

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson admires the way India captain Virat Kohli rallies behind his troops on the field and how he expects the best from everybody in the team just like he does from himself. (Virat Kohli slips to No.4 in Test rankings)Also Watch:DRS storm overshadows India's victory, Barcelona create historyWatson praised Kohli's leadership qualities and compared his captaincy with that of an iron-fisted dictator. (Kohli's message on Holi: Please don't harm animals on streets)"Virat Kohli's captaincy is an iron-fisted dictatorship and Australia must brace themselves for the attack of the clones in Ranchi," Watson told The Daily Telegraph.Watson played a season of the Indian Premier League under the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper last year and therefore, knows a thing or two about Kohli."I wouldn't say he's got a temper, he just rides the highs and lows of the game from an emotional point of view. He wants to win, he hates losing and as a captain that's how he's built."One of the things I absolutely love about Virat is he's got such a deep down burning desire to win and obviously he's up to pushing the limits."The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia is at a stage where both teams have registered one win each with the penultimate match to be played in Ranchi from Thursday. The war of words had started even before series had commenced and problems escalated between the two sides in the last match in Bengaluru where Steve Smith got involved in the DRS controversy, prompting some strong words from his counterpart Virat Kohli, while the BCCI lodged an official complaint against the Australia captain and Peter Handscomb.

Aarushi Maheshwari

03 Mar 2017,Friday

Dead lizard found in McDonald's french fries

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dead-lizard-mcdonalds-kolkata-french-fries-fast-food-restaurant/1/895721.html

A woman has claimed she found a dead lizard in her french fries at a McDonald's outlet in Kolkata on Tuesday. Priyanka Moitra, who is pregnant, was celebrating her four-year-old daughter's birthday when the incident occurred. She filed an FIR, adding, "When I told the outlet manager... he showed a careless attitude and left with just a sorry."

Fried food items are mouth-watering delicacies for many, french fries at McDonald's certainly so.  But what this family encountered at this fast food restaurant outlet in Kolkata is surely going to leave a bitter taste in your mouth, quite literally.Priyanka Moitra and her family stopped by a McDonald's outlet in EM Bypass area of Kolkata and ordered McDonald's special french fries among other food items. While they were having their meal, Priyanka's daughter noticed a dead lizard with the french fries on the plate. THE COMPLAINANT'S VERSIONPriyanka said, "It was my four-year-old daughter's birthday on Tuesday. We had gone to the McDonald's outlet in Mani square, where we ordered burger and french fries. As we started eating, I noticed a dead lizard with the french fries, which got me vomiting. I immediately reported the matter to the outlet manager, who apologised and took away the order and offered to replace the same with fresh stuff."   Priyanka, who is expecting, started feeling ill and dizzy, thinking of the health of her daughter and her unborn child. She clicked a picture of the dead lizard along with the french fries and lodged a complaint against the McDonald outlet with the Phulbagan police station. Also read | Dead rat found in midday meal, 9 admitted to hospital "Filing a police complaint was important. People should know about this incident as consuming such poisonous food can be fatal", she said.  Priyanka and her family have said that they will take up the issue legally with the food giant.

Pragya Swastik

05 Mar 2017,Sunday

Flipkart to hire up to 30% more people this year, says COO

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/flipkart-to-hire-20-30percent-more-this-year/1/897065.html

Flipkart is looking to hire up to 30% more people in 2017 compared to last year, according to homegrown e-commerce major's Chief Operating Officer Nitin Seth. Flipkart reportedly hired about 1,500 people last year and 10,000 temporary staffers for logistics. According to research firm RedSeer, the Indian e-commerce industry witnessed a 12% growth in 2016 compared to 180% in 2015.

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) E-commerce major Flipkart is looking to hire 20-30 per cent more people in 2017 compared to last year even as rival Snapdeal hands out pink slips to its employees. The Bengaluru-based firm, which is locked in an intense battle with the US-based Amazon for leadership in the Indian market, will hire most laterals this year. "Our 2017 hiring plans are calibrated to the growth momentum we are seeing and we expect it to be somewhere around 20% to 30% higher than last year, spread out as per requirements across verticals," Flipkart COO Nitin Seth told PTI. He added that a majority of this will likely come in through the lateral route. "We believe this offers us the right mix of talent needed to power the next phase of growth at Flipkart," he said. Seth, however, declined to comment on the hiring number this year or in the previous year. According to sources, Flipkart hired about 1,500 people last year. Besides, it hired about 10,000 temporary staffers, mostly in logistics, ahead of festive sales to ensure it can meet the huge jump in demand. According to research firm RedSeer, the Indian e-tailing industry expanded by a merely 12 per cent in 2016 to clock revenues of USD 14.5 billion compared to a whopping 180 per cent growth in 2015. With raising of fresh funds becoming difficult and markdown in valuations, many of these technology-led businesses are being forced to pare down workforce or shut businesses.

Mansha Mahajan

25 May 2017,Thursday

Indian economy has ?5 lakh crore less cash after note ban

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-demonetisation-income-tax-revenue-digital-economy/1/962380.html

According to an internal report on the benefits of demonetisation prepared by government officials, the economy now has ?5 lakh crore lesser cash than it would have had if demonetisation hadn't happened. This means that the amount of cash stashed away by citizens has come down, which is advantageous since hoarding cash delivers no value to the country's economic growth.

Thanks to demonetisation the Indian economy is running with Rs 5 lakh crores less than the amount of cash that would have been present in the economy had demonetisation not happened. This is one of the key findings of a high level internal report on the benefits of demonetisation which has been prepared by top government officials. Mail Today has exclusively been able to access this report which has been prepared as part of the internal assessments carried out to mark the third anniversary of the Modi government.Here's a low down of some of the major advantages that demonetisation has delivered to the economy:ALSO READ | Demonetisation did not impede future black money flows, says UN reportALSO READ | Rs 45 crore in demonetised notes seized from textile shop in Chennai

Daisy Mowke

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Man held for extracting money by posing as ticket examiner

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/man-held-for-duping-train-passengers-in-guise-of-tte/1/1003941.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A man named Pravesh Rawat has been arrested after he was found extracting money from passengers on a train posing as a Travel Ticket Examiner (TTE). He was issuing "receipts" to passengers travelling without ticket and collecting "fine" from them on board the train from Dehradun to Delhi. He was arrested after suspicious travellers alerted the Government Railway Police.

A man has been arrested here after he was allegedly found extracting money from passengers on a train posing as a Travel Ticket Examiner (TTE), officials said. Pravesh Rawat was issuing "receipts" to some passengers who were travelling without ticket and collecting "fine" from them on board the train from Dehradun to Delhi yesterday, an official of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said. However, some frequent travellers soon got suspicious of his actions and alerted the GRP, he said.

Tarun Khanna

01 May 2017,Monday

Mamata Banerjee has become a hijra: BJP leader in WB

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/wb-bjp-leader-calls-mamata-eunuch/1/942364.html

BJP leader in West Bengal Shyamapada Mondal has said state CM Mamata Banerjee has become a hijra (eunuch). "Mamata Banerjee is practising the politics of appeasement and indulging in theatrics," he said. "We cannot understand whether she's a man or a woman. I would say she has become a hijra as you see them on trains and buses," he added.

Midnapore (WB), Apr 30 (PTI) A West Bengal BJP leader today described Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a eunuch, while accusing her of practising the politics of appeasement. While addressing a party meeting at Chandrakona in West Midnapore district, the partys state committee member Shyamapada Mondal alleged that Banerjee has been doing what Muslims do as their religious practice. "Mamata Banerjee is practising the politics of appeasement and indulging in theatrics. We cannot understand whether Mamata Banerjee is a man or a woman. I would say she has become a hijra (eunuch) as you see them in trains and buses," he said amid laughters by party supporters.

Sumedha Sehra

21 Jul 2017,Friday

Ram Nath Kovind 1st President from UP; Know more about him

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ram-nath-kovind-14th-president-of-india-nda/1/1006677.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Elected India's 14th President, Ram Nath Kovind will be the first President from Uttar Pradesh, and the second Dalit President after KR Narayanan. He has practised as an advocate in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court. He has also been a Rajya Sabha member and BJP's SC cell President. He resigned as Bihar Governor to fight the Presidential polls.

BJP-led NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind registered an emphatic win over his rival and Opposition candidate Meira Kumar. Succeeding Pranab Mukherjee, Kovind will be sworn in as the 14th president of India on July 25.Kovind will be the seventh youngest person to be anointed to the coveted post. He is also the second Dalit after KR Narayanan to adorn the coveted post. He is the first President from Uttar Pradesh.On June 19, BJP's Parliamentary Board decided to field Kovind as NDA's presidential candidate. He was Bihar governor then. Subsequently, Kovind resigned as governor to contest the presidential election which was held on July 17.ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RAM NATH KOVINDBorn on October 1, 1945 in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur Dehat, Ram Nath Kovind was a lawyer by profession. He practised as an advocate for the Central Government at Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979. He was a permanent advocate for the Centre at the Supreme Court between 1980 and 1993.The BJP-led Centre had appointed Ram Nath Kovind, 76, as Bihar Governor in August 2015 with a view to wooing the Dalits in the state Assembly elections held in December that year.Ram Nath Kovind was a Rajya Sabha member between 1994 and 2006 from Uttar Pradesh. As Rajya Sabha MP, he visited Thailand, Nepal, Germany, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan and United States of America on study tours.Kovind was member of the Parliamentary Committees for SC/ST welfare, home ministry, petroleum and natural gas, social justice and rights, and law and justice. He was also the chairman of Rajya Sabha housing committee.Ram Nath Kovind was a member of management board for Dr BR Ambedkar University, Lucknow and Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.Kovind represented India at United Nations in New York and addressed the General Assembly in October 2002.Ram Nath Kovind was the BJP's SC cell president from 1998 to 2002. He was also BJP's national spokesperson.Ram Nath Kovind was also the member of BJP's National Executive Committee as a permanent invitee.THE JOURNEYBorn in Paraunkh village of Derapur tehsil in Kanpur rural, Uttar Pradesh, Kovind is the youngest among three brothers. He completed his primary and pre-middle school education from Khanpur in Sandalpur block. He passed intermediate examination from Kanpur and bachelors in Commerce from DAV College. He became a law graduate from DAV Law College, Kanpur.Thereafter, Kovind moved to the national capital to prepare for Civil Services examination. He cleared the coveted exams in his third attempt. However, he turned out the job offer as he was selected in the Allied Services.Ram Nath Kovind started his career as a lawyer in the Supreme Court. After the formation of Janata Party government in 1977, he became private secretary to the then prime minister Morarji Desai. He also worked as a junior counsellor for the Janata Party government in the Supreme Court. He subsequently came in contact of the BJP leaders.BJP fielded him as a Lok Sabha candidate from Ghatampur in UP in 1990. However, he lost the election.In 2007, BJP gave him a ticket for UP Assembly election from Bhognipur constituency. However, he lost that election too.ALSO READ|  Ram Nath Kovind set to enter Rashtrapati Bhavan: What do you know about the Raisina Hill palace?Ram Nath Kovind vs Meira Kumar: How votes are counted and President-elect is declared

Sanira Mediratta

22 Dec 2016,Thursday

Why is National Mathematics Day celebrated on December 22?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/srinivasa-ramanujan-national-mathematics-day-facts/1/840477.html

National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22, since 2012, after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the declaration, to pay tribute to S Ramanujan and celebrate his birth anniversary. Ramanujan is known for his contributions to the theory of numbers and compiling over 3,000 mathematical results and equations. Notably, his 129th birth anniversary was observed on the day.

A self-taught mathematician who made extraordinary contributions to the world of mathematics, S Ramanujan was one of the most influential mathematicians of his time. He was born on December 22, 1887 into a Tamil brahmin Iyenger family in Erode, Madras Presidency. His father hailed from Thanjavur district, and worked as a clerk in a sari shop. From compiling over 3900 mathematical results and equations to getting discoveries named after him, his numerous assertions in mathematics opened up new vistas of mathematical research. Mentored by GH Hardy, an English mathematician, Ramanujan even has a prime number named after him widely known as 'Ramanujan Prime' which is related to prime-counting function.

Deepali Aggarwal

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Russia bans VPNs to stop users from accessing censored sites

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/putin-bans-vpns-to-stop-russians-from-accessing-prohibited-websites/story-E2VkBAtBy4L5W82RHI2IuK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a censorship law that bans the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other technologies which allow people to access prohibited websites and surf the web anonymously. Amnesty International criticised the law which will come into force on November 1 this year, as the "latest blow in an assault on online freedom."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that prohibits technology that provides access to websites banned in the country, the government?s website said.The law, already approved by the Duma, the lower house of parliament, will ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other technologies, known as anonymizers, that allow people to surf the web anonymously. It comes into force on November 1.Leonid Levin, the head of the Duma?s information policy committee, has said the law is not intended to impose restrictions on law-abiding citizens but is meant only to block access to ?unlawful content,? RIA news agency said.

Shubhodeep Datta

23 Dec 2016,Friday

Road in front of Delhi's Red Fort to be revamped

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/revamp-drive-on-netaji-subhash-marg-to-begin-from-monday/story-B3eJU55JfhfO7poP45YzuL.html

The civic agencies will begin an anti-encroachment and cleanliness drive from Monday at the Delhi's Netaji Subhash Marg, the road in front of the Red Fort. As per reports, there's a plan to stop the entry of non-destined vehicles and one-way traffic arrangement will be put in place for vehicles going to Jama Masjid and the Chandni Chowk area.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday directed the civic agencies to conduct an anti-encroachment and cleanliness drive at the busy Netaji Subhash Marg (opposite Red Fort). A meeting, called at Lieutenant Governor Office to discuss the traffic congestion, was attended by the officials of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation, PWD and Traffic Police. These agencies will run the drive together from Monday to revamp the area. Netaji Subhash Marg is an important stretch that leads to Red Fort and the Walled City. Thousands of tourists take the stretch every day to reach the historic monument. But due to heavy congestion and encroachment around the site they end up wasting time.During the meeting with L-G Najeeb Jung, Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) consultant shared the plan for beautification of stretch from Daryaganj traffic signal to Lothian Bridge in Old Delhi. ?However, the L-G was more concerned about traffic mismanagement on this stretch. He directed the agencies to decongest the stretch first. We appreciate his timely decision as the beautification work will not survive unless the stretch is made hassle free. Moreover, this is the main stretch which leads to walled city,? said Faizi O hasmi, managing director, SRDC.According to North Corporation officials, staff will be engaged from Monday to begin the cleanliness and anti-encroachment drive from Delhi Gate to Kashmere Gate. ?We will take strict action against the people encroaching on pavement and footpaths. Simultaneously beautification work will be carried on green patches along this stretch such as Tikona Park,? said a senior official from North Delhi Municipal Corporation.The Delhi Traffic Police and Public Works Departments will work in co-ordination with each other for installation of signages.?We will also ensure proper functioning of traffic signals. To decongest the road we will also take action against the vehicles parked on roadsides and non parking zones,? said Garima Bhatnagar, joint commissioner of traffic police. Sources said another meeting will be called after few weeks to review the action taken by agencies. ?Afterwards beautification work will start by SRDC,? said a senior official. Last month, the SRDC had agreed to beautify part of Netaji Subhash Marg from Daryaganj signal to Lothian Bridge in Old Delhi.As per the project, the pavements on both sides on the road opposite Red Fort will be spruced up with display panels showcasing the history of Shahjahanabad and with food plazas, street furniture, walkways, space for vendors and dedicated lanes for non-motorised vehicles.Also, there is plan to stop the entry of non-destined vehicles. One-way traffic arrangement will be put in place for vehicles going to Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk area. make the stretch one way on this road.

Prashanti Moktan

27 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Please 2017, give me a week off: Priyanka

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/priyanka-chopra-quantico-baywatch-peecee-88th-annual-academy-awards/1/843530.html

Actress Priyanka Chopra, while talking about how eventful the year 2016 was for her, said "Please 2017, give me a week off." The 34-year-old actress said, "The stars aligned in 2016. I've had some amazing moments this year." Priyanka made these comments when she was recently in Assam, where she was formally appointed as the state's tourism brand ambassador.

A day after the 88th Annual Academy Awards in February this year, Priyanka Chopra was the most searched person on Google after Leonardo DiCaprio, who had just won his first academy award for best actor. In PeeCee's words, she found it bizarre that she came in second after bechara (poor) Leo and that, after all, she was another girl in a dress at the world's biggest motion pictures' event and also that it had just been three months since she made her American small-screen debut with Quantico's first season. Fans across the globe fell in love with Priyanka's strapless gown but not many know that 20 minutes before her red carpet appearance, Priyanka Chopra's entire team had a panic attack as almost her entire dress was transparent. THE DRESSPeeCee's dress was completely sheer and when she wore the now viral Oscar dress, Priyanka realised that the lining of the dress started from her knees, thus the top was effectively see-through. Also read: Watch: Priyanka Chopra totally slayed it at the Global Citizen Festival in NYC Also read: Emmy Awards: Priyanka Chopra is red carpet perfection in this red gown It is hard to believe but Priyanka's team hand-stitched the dress on to her, and the outfit would have completely come off had she stepped on her dress. "The stars aligned in 2016. I've had some amazing moments this year," she said, as a sea of Assamese dignitaries along with their extended families flocked a small makeshift studio in Guwahati to click a selfie with the actress. Priyanka was surprised when the government of Assam offered her to be the brand ambassador for tourism of the state but she was visibly elated. One suspected Priyanka would permanently settle in the US ever since she landed a slot on American primetime television. The actress however, clearing the air, said, "I have not moved to America, Mumbai is my home." As far as her blink-and-miss appearance in the Baywatch trailer goes, Priyanka assured us that she had a great part in thefilm and that fans would get to see much more of her in subsequent promotional material for the film. Also read: These pics prove Priyanka Chopra is the hot favourite cover girl for international magazines right now

Sonu Kumari

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

BMC demolishes nearly 150 illegal shop extensions, stalls

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/100-illegal-shop-extensions-40-stalls-razed-in-mumbai/story-tBWAb98fLDK7n7hdLBeSBM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday demolished over 100 illegal shop extensions and 40 stalls near Santacruz station. The action was part of a drive by the corporation to free the public spaces from encroachments. The officials said that some of the stalls, which were at least four years old, did not have licenses to erect the sheds.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished 40 illegal food and clothing stalls and razed extensions of more than 100 stores near Santacruz station on Tuesday. An H/West ward official said 40 stalls that were blocking traffic were demolished at Tilak Road, MG Road and Kanubai Desai Road in Santacruz (west). The official said that the stalls were at least four years old. ?We checked if they had licenses and they didn?t,? added the official.The BMC also took action against at least 100 stores on these roads that had put up illegal sheds. The stores were in the allotted area but the sheds were encroached on footpaths, said an official who supervised the demolition. The action is part of a BMC drive against establishments setting up sheds and stalls that encroach onto public spaces ? meant to be kept free and open for easy access by fire engines in case of an emergency. Every monsoon, several establishments across Mumbai erect sheds without the civic body?s permission.

Parmeet Kaur

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Monkeys enter MCD headquarters, Cong leader blames security

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/monkeys-enter-mcd-headquarters-draw-ire-of-congress-leader/story-iofjSloTjuqVDx4jGh0unO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Two monkeys strayed into the headquarters building of the North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations, triggering chaos among staff and security. NDMC Congress leader Mukesh Goel alleged negligence in security and demanded an inquiry into the incident. He also questioned the functioning of the veterinary department in controlling the population of stray animals.

Two monkeys strayed into the swanky, multi-storeyed headquarters building of the civic bodies on Monday, triggering panic and chaos for a while among the staff and security personnel.The 28-storey complex, built about a decade ago and spread over several blocks ? Civic Centre ? houses the headquarters of BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).Leader of Congress in NDMC Mukesh Goel alleged negligence in security and held the authorities of the corporation responsible for the incident. He also demanded that an inquiry be made into it.?Security personnel are deputed at every nook and corner of the Civic Centre and despite that two monkeys were able to get inside ?A? block, which shows negligence of duty on their part. Every year, crores of rupees are spent on security by the corporation (NDMC) and despite that this incident took place,? Goel said.The monkeys had entered the second floor of ?A? Block, which also houses the office of Goel.Several offices and business establishments are also located in the towering building complex.?The monkeys scampered around the corridors for about 30 minutes as guards ran after them,? Goel said.He also questioned the functioning of the veterinary department of the corporation in controlling the population of stray dogs and animals in their jurisdiction.A senior NDMC official when contacted, however, tried to downplay the incident, saying, ?the monkeys may have entered as it was raining. They were shooed away as soon as possible?.Goel also brought to notice an old incident when a former deputy mayor of the then unified corporation had died after being attacked by a monkey.?The incident did not take place at the Civic Centre, but at his home when a monkey had attacked him and in the process he slipped off his balcony and suffered a fall that proved fatal,? the civic official said.?If civic authorities can?t keep the headquarters free from stray monkeys and dogs, how will they ensure the same in other areas,? Goel asked.The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was trifurcated in 2012 into NDMC, SDMC and EDMC. The headquarters of the East Corporation is in Patparganj.

Gaurav Shroff

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

First ever double hand transplant on a child successful

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/18/first-double-hand-transplant-zion-harvey-child-declared-success?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Almost two years after eight-year-old Zion Harvey from the US became the first-ever child to receive a double hand transplant, the doctors involved have declared the operation successful. The kid had both his hands and feet amputated aged two due to sepsis infection. He underwent eight rejections of hands after the surgery, but they were reversed using immunosuppression drugs.

After almost 11 hours of surgery involving four teams of doctors, Zion Harvey had earned his place in medical history. The eight-year-old had become the first child in the world to receive two new hands in a procedure that seemed to herald a revolution in transplant medicine.Two years on, the sports-mad boy from Baltimore, Maryland, is enjoying the freedom and independence his new hands have given him. In the first medical journal report of Zion?s pioneering treatment, published on Wednesday, the experts involved declare the operation a success and say other children could benefit from the knowledge gained.Zion had to rely on others after he had his hands and feet amputated aged two when he contracted sepsis. For six years he used a combination of his residual limbs and specialist equipment to dress, wash himself and eat ? until the double transplant changed his life. ?At 18 months [after the transplant], the child had exceeded his previous adaptive abilities. As of 18 months after transplantation surgery he is able to write and feed, toilet and dress himself more independently and efficiently than he could do before transplantation,? writes the team from the Children?s hospital of Philadelphia in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.Organ transplantation is risky in that a recipient?s body may reject the new body part, while the drug regime involved carries a series of health risks. Two years on from the surgery he had in July 2015, Zion, now 10, is coping well with both. ?Cases like this demonstrate how new developments and innovation in science and transplantation have the potential to make enormous differences to the quality of life of patients,? said Lorna Marson, the president of the British Transplantation Society, which represents specialists working in the field across the NHS. ?Transplantation is a constantly evolving sector and it is heartening to hear the positive outcomes of groundbreaking transplants such as this one.?More than 100 people worldwide have had a hand or arm transplant since the first adult received a new hand in 1998, closely followed by the first replacement of both hands in 2000. Many countries now conduct such transplants on small numbers of carefully selected patients. In May 2000, a baby girl in Malaysia who was born with a severe congenital deformity became the first child to receive a new hand and arm, transplanted from her identical twin sister who died at birth. In an update last year on his progress in the year since his surgery, Zion said: ?The only thing that?s different is instead of no hands, I have two hands. I?m still the same kid everybody knew without hands.? Referring to his new hands, he added: ?Here?s the piece of my life that was missing. Now it?s here, my life is complete.? Within eight months of the operation Zion was using scissors and crayons and after a year he was able to swing a baseball bat with both hands ? once throwing the opening pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game. Dr Scott Levin, team leader for Zion?s 10-hour surgery, has praised his young patient?s bravery. ?I?ve never seen Zion cry. I?ve never seen him not want to do his therapy. He?s just such a remarkable human being, let alone child or adult. He has such courage and determination and gives us all inspiration,? he said.But the last two years have been mentally and physically hard for Zion. He has had huge amounts of physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help him adjust, as well as counselling to aid his psychological recovery. The doctors write: ?Since his surgery he has undergone eight rejections of the hands, including serious episodes during the fourth and seventh months of his transplant. All of these were reversed with immunosuppression drugs without impacting the function of the child?s hands.? He is still taking four different immunosuppressant drugs to maximise the chances of his body continuing to tolerate the pair of new hands, though doctors hope to reduce the dose. ?While functional outcomes are positive and the boy is benefitting from his transplant, this surgery has been very demanding for this child and his family,? said Dr Sandra Amaral, a member of the team at the Philadelphia hospital. However, in an accompanying comment article, Dr Marco Lanzetta, an Italian expert in hand transplant surgery, doubts that many children could tolerate a similar procedure and highlights the risks from lifelong use of immunosuppressants. Zion?s case was exceptional as he was already on the drugs, after receiving a kidney from his mother, Pattie Ray. Prosthetic hands and limbs, adds Lanzetta, have now developed so much that they, rather than transplant surgery, are more likely to prove the future for patients like Zion.

Ankur Vyas

21 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Centre may install Internet jammers in school buses

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/porn-centre-school-buses-jammers/1/839504.html

The government has suggested the installation of Internet jammers in school buses after a PIL in the Supreme Court claimed that crews on these vehicles shared pornographic material with students and later molested them. Notably, the Centre had earlier informed the apex court that it has ordered the blocking of websites that hosted child pornography.

The government may advise schools to install Internet jammers in their buses after a public interest plea in the Supreme Court said crews on these vehicles share pornographic material with students and later sexually abuse them.The development comes against the backdrop of the Centre last year blocking hundreds of adult websites to prevent porn becoming a "social nuisance", sparking a debate about censorship and freedom in the world's largest democracy. The ban was partially lifted days later following a wave of criticism.Also read: It's official. Government has banned these 857 porn sitesJAMMERS IN SCHOOL BUSES?Responding to a suggestion to install jammers inside schools from the Supreme Court Woman Lawyers Association (SWLA) - one of the petitioners in the PIL - the affidavit filed by RP Saxena, co-ordinator of the cyber laws and esecurity group of the government, said, "It may not be feasible to install jammers inside the school premises since jammers in schools will block internet access to computers used by children. However, in order to prevent access of pornographic sites on cell phones by these drivers or anyone who is in charge of the children in the buses, they can be installed in buses."Also Read: Five reasons why porn ban won't workIn its fight against online porn, the SCWLA has said no such site should have free access and those desperate to watch should be made to pay a hefty amount which "can act as a deterrent".FIND WAYS AND MEANS TO BLOCK PORNBased on the plea from the association and others, the top court had this year asked the Narendra Modi government to find out "ways and means" to block pornography on the internet and make watching of blue film in public an offence.Also Read: Find ways to block porn sites, Supreme Court tells government"It has become very common these days for the drivers, conductors/cleaners to take advantage of innocent children, induce them to watch porn on their mobiles and indulge in molestation and sodomisation of the child," said the petition filed by the association's secretary Prerna Kumari and drafted by senior lawyer Mahalakshmi Pavani.INDIANS ACCESS PORN ON MOBILEMillions of Indians access porn on their smartphones or by inserting memory chips containing racy videos that are easily available at low prices, say reports. Some Internet companies say it is impossible to block all such sites because many of the servers that host them are outside India. Also, the sites can still be accessed through proxy servers.However, researchers from Australia's University of Melbourne found in a study last month that young people who watch pornography, which is now easily accessible on smartphones and other devices, are more likely to sexually abuse another child or young person.Referring to "increasing" instances where auto drivers, bus drivers and conductors indulge in molestation and sodomy, the affidavit says, "Limited access to persons making request to visit porn sites, may be provided (like VPN gateway server, etc) with certain conditions like: Instead of making payment to the Service providers, a hefty amount be made to the Government of India. This way, it is reflected in the bank accounts; also people like auto-drivers and people belonging to such similar strata of the society will have restricted access to online pornography. Also, it can be a great revenuegenerating model for the government."HAVE COUNSELLORS FOR KIDS

Sanira Mediratta

24 Dec 2016,Saturday

Prices of HIV, diabetes drugs slashed by up to 44%

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prices-of-hiv-diabetes-and-angina-drugs-slashed-by-up-to-44pc/1/841739.html

The prices of about 50 drugs, including those used for treatment of HIV infection, diabetes, and bacterial infections, have been capped by the government, leading to a price cut in the range of 5-44%. In respect of medicines not under price control, manufacturers are allowed by the National Drug Pricing Regulator to increase the maximum retail price by 10% annually.

New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Prices of over 50 essential drugs including those used for treatment of HIV infection, diabetes, anxiety disorders, bacterial infections, angina and acid reflux have been capped by the government, leading to a price cut in the range of 5 per cent to 44 per cent. The National Drug Pricing Regulator has also fixed the retail prices of 29 formulations. "NPPA has fixed/revised ceiling prices of 55 scheduled formulations of Schedule-I under Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order,2016 and retail price of 29 formulations under DPCO, 2013 in related Notification /order dated 23.12.2016," National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said in a statement. On being contacted about the price reduction, NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh told PTI: "The prices have been reduced in the range of 5 to 44 per cent, with the average being about 25 per cent". As stipulated under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO) 2013, NPPA fixes ceiling price of essential medicines of Schedule I. In respect of medicines not under price control, manufacturers are allowed to increase the maximum retail price by 10 per cent annually.

Abhishek Bansal

08 Apr 2017,Saturday

Take away office, AAP will function from streets: Kejriwal

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/take-away-office-aap-will-function-from-streets-kejriwal/1/924106.html

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the cancellation of AAP's office allotment was part of a larger design to "finish" the party, adding that Aam Aadmi Party was ready to operate from the "streets". The office allotment to AAP by the Kejriwal government was cancelled by Lieutenant Governor after the Shunglu Committee pointed out 'irregularities' in the allotment.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that the cancellation of AAPs office allotment was part of a larger design to 'finish' the party. He said the party is being 'victimised' and 'discriminated against' for taking on the ruling mafia and siding with the poor, and asserted the Aam Aadmi Party is ready to operate from the 'streets'. The office allotment to the AAP by the Kejriwal government was cancelled by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor yesterday after the Shunglu Committee pointed out 'irregularities' in the allotment. Kejriwal wondered why the Congress and the BJP, despite having negligible presence in the Delhi politics, have five and seven office spaces respectively, along with one plot each. "This must be the first time in independent India that a ruling party is being denied office space in the state where it is in power. Even RJD, BSP, ABVP, RSS have offices in Delhi," he told a press conference at his residence. Kejriwal linked the cancellation to the AAPs promise of abolishing house tax if voted to power in the municipal corporations, which go to polls on April 23. "They want to finish us, they want to close AAP. But it wont happen as we are on the path of truth. People will teach them a lesson in the polls," he said "Having an office is our right. We are not seeking a favour. It was allotted legally. We will place a fresh demand for an office. People are already offering us space," he said. Meanwhile, party functionaries discharged duties as usual from 206 Rouse Avenue, the office space in question. Sources said the party may move the court against the cancellation.

Tarun Khanna

28 Jan 2017,Saturday

Sheena Bora case: Rahul Mukerjea defends dad Peter Mukerjea

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/days-before-sheena-bora-murder-trial-peter-mukerjea-writes-open-letter-to-defend-dad/1/868428.html

In the latest update in Sheena Bora murder case, Rahul Mukerjea, son of accused Peter Mukerjea, in an open letter has defended his father, stating the latter wasn't aware of the crime. "Indrani had introduced Sheena and Mikhail as her siblings to everyone?Peter was clearly not involved, nor was he aware of any crime allegedly perpetrated by Indrani," he added.n

In defense of his father and former television head honcho Peter Mukerjea, Rahul Mukerjea, a prime witness of the case today wrote an open letter defending his father again.Tweeting the letter, Rahul reiterated that his dad believed every word his wife told him.Although this is not the first time he has come out in his father's defense while putting the entire blame of Sheena's murder in 2012 on Indrani, the timing of this longish letter assumes importance.The charges against Peter, Indrani and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna were filed this month. They have been charged with murder and the trial is set to start in four days.Following is the letter that he has set out in the social media.To all concerned, Ref: Sheena Bora Now that the investigation is complete and the trial is starting, it is (cont) https://t.co/qhe8WKnapcTo all concerned,Ref: Sheena BoraNow that the investigation is complete and the trial is starting, it is of utmost importance to know the correct context and understand the situation correctly - especially with the misinformation carried by sections of the media.The narrative that points to Peter's involvement, is absolutely incorrect and has very unfairly been publicised as the only narrative, and without a fair and balanced counter.In the interests of justice and fairness, it is important to share this information.So here is the correct context;Indrani had introduced Sheena and Mikhail as her siblings to everyone, including Peter.Indrani obviously didn't want it to be revealed that they were her children.Initially when she met Sheena and Mikhail, after they had made contact with her upon seeing her in the news, she instructed them to maintain her lie, or she wouldn't help them in any way. This fact was always kept secret from Peter..that they were her kids. But..when Sheena and I tried to tell Peter about this lie, he asked Indrani and she strongly refuted it, insisting this was not true and that they were in fact her siblings and not her children.Indrani would have then been extremely angry with Sheena for disobeying her most important instruction and undermining her.Peter didn't know the truth of Sheena and Indrani's relationship. If Peter asked Indrani whether there was any truth to these apparent revelations, she only denied it and claimed they were sisters.Evidently, there was no financial motive.Whatever Indrani may have done, was for her own personal reasons.Peter was clearly not involved.Peter was never allowed, by Indrani, to visit Guwahati to meet her parents, obviously, as that would have led to him becoming aware of the truth about Indrani's past and her kids. Something which she was seemingly trying to hide.Indrani had given him the story that Sheena had contacted her with a view to leaving our relationship and wanted money and help to do that (this was not true). But trusting his wife, Peter believed it. Indrani also backed up that story by sending sms messages from Sheena's phone to Peter, stating the same.. That is why he was so sure that she must be fine.Peter's only comment to Indrani on hearing that Sheena wanted to leave, was that 'if Sheena wants to leave Rahul, then she really ought to tell him in some form or another.. can't just go without saying anything.' (as that would have been very hard for me or anyone to deal with). Hence the text msgs sent from Sheena's phone by Indrani.Indrani has been cunning and manipulative and with tragic results, very convincing. She was able to make Peter believe her lies so that she could maintain her deception, and carry on doing what she really intended.He certainly did NOT know what lndrani was upto before, during, or after, with regard to any crime.Emails and recordings MUST be seen in the correct context. He believed what Indrani had told him that Sheena was indeed fine and didn't want to be in touch. And therefore on that basis, he was supporting Indrani's claims that Sheena was ok. NOT a case of misleading because of complicity in any crime..but a situation where he really believed that Sheena was okay because his wife was assuring him of such - and he was trying to tell me the same.In early 2012 when Sheena contacted Indrani with a view to clearing the air, Indrani had told Peter that Sheena had in fact contacted her with a view to leaving the relationship and wanted Indrani's help to do that (Peter was lied to). Therefore, any of Peter's subsequent reassurances given to me that Sheena was fine, or must be fine, were as a result of him believing what he had been told, which Indrani also corroborated to make believable by sending a couple of SMS messages to herself and to Peter, from Sheena's phone, claiming the same.Any and all who inquired about Sheena, were peddled this same story by Indrani and were equally convinced - it was not just Peter who believed her.Peter was clearly not involved, nor was he aware of any crime allegedly perpetrated by Indrani, despite claims to the contrary.These important circumstances, which to date have not been pointed out, very clearly show that Peter was NOT 'in the know' nor was he involved in the crime.Hence, charges against Peter ought to be dropped.

Niharika Prabhakar

30 Jul 2017,Sunday

Amethi women to get toilets as Raksha Bandhan gifts

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amethi-women-to-get-toilets-as-gifts-this-raksha-bandhan/1/1014571.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

As part of a campaign to make Amethi open-defecation free, 854 persons in the district have registered themselves as "brothers" with the district committee to gift a lavatory to their sisters on Raksha Bandhan. The registered brothers will build lavatories with their own resources. Later, a lucky draw will be conducted to give up to ?50,000 cash to three winners.

Amethi (UP), Jul 30 (PTI) Brothers in this district have lined up a different gift for their sisters this Raksha Bandhan - a toilet. To make the open defecation free campaign successful and create awareness about sanitation here, the Zila Swachchhata Samiti (district committee for sanitation) has started a programme "Anokhi Amethi Ka Anokha Bhai". Giving details of the plan, Chief Development Officer of Amethi Apurva Dubey told PTI that 854 persons from different blocks of the district have registered themselves as "brothers" with the district committee to gift a lavatory to their sisters on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The lavatory will be constructed by the registered brothers with their own resources, she said.

Vani Vivek

20 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Hyperloop India to raise money for its pod via crowdfunding

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/hyperloop-india-gets-crowd-funding-platform-ketto-to-help/1/982880.html

'Hyperloop India', which is the only Indian team in Elon Musk-led SpaceX's Hyperloop competition, has partnered with crowdfunding platform Ketto to raise funds to build its pod prototype. Of the ?75 lakh required to build the prototype, ?35 lakh has already been raised so far from various corporates. The team is building 'OrcaPod', which is expected to reach 460 kmph.

Prashanti Moktan

05 Jun 2017,Monday

Felt I was forced to dance but started enjoying it: Siddiqui

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/we-will-be-in-trouble-if-nawazuddin-starts-dancing-too-tiger/1/971160.html

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said that initially he felt he was forced to dance but started enjoying dancing while doing the film Munna Michael, which stars Tiger Shroff. "I learnt a lot by observing Tiger's dancing steps... I think I have tried to reach nearly 5 per cent of his dancing skills," added Nawazuddin.

Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) Tiger Shroff said if Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is a powerhouse performer, starts dancing as well then other actors jobs will be in trouble. Tiger has teamed up with Nawazuddin for the upcoming dance-action, "Munna Michael". The story is about a young man from the streets, called Munna, played by Tiger, who is a big fan of Michael Jackson. Munna teaches dancing to Mahinder Fauji, played by Nawazuddin, who is a gangster with dancing ambitions. When asked how it was to dance on screen, Nawazuddin told reporters, "Initially I felt I was forced to do it, but I started enjoying dancing while doing the film... Dance is a passion just like acting. Its God gift to people. But I am not one of the gifted ones." The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of the film. Tiger, who was also present at the event, quickly added, "If he starts dancing too, humara kaam mushkil ho jayega (our jobs would be difficult). I dont think we will be able to perform as good as Nawaz sir. He is just a holistic actor. After watching the film his fans will be surprised." Nawazuddin, 43, said he has tried to match up the dancing skills of Tiger. "I cant be a dancing hero, but if I get a solo hero film Ill definitely do it but it shouldnt have dancing. I danced with a lot of difficulty and learnt a lot by observing Tigers dancing steps. I cant dance like him, but have tried to match him. I think I have tried to reach nearly 5 per cent of his dancing skills." For the 27-year-old "Heropanti" actor, acting with Nawazuddin was intimidating but also helpful.

Sonu Kumari

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

Idols worth ?1.5L stolen from ISKCON temple in Greater Noida

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/idols-worth-over-a-lakh-stolen-from-iskcon-temple-in-greater-noida/story-mAoQ4Dj5HygLCkO1s2Vz1L.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Two 1.5-foot-tall idols of Gaura and Nitai worth around ?1.5 lakh were stolen from ISKCON temple in Greater Noida. A donation box that contained about ?25,000 was also missing. "The thieves apparently used screwdrivers to remove screws of window grill and gain entry into the temple," said a police official.

The twin idols of Gaura and Nitai, valued around Rs 1.5 lakh, were been stolen from Iskcon preaching centre in Greater Noida. The idols are worshipped as avatars of lord Krishna and Balram.According to the police, the thieves entered from the window and decamped with two idols of deities made up of Astadhatu (an alloy consisting eight metals including gold, silver, copper lead, tin, zinc, iron and mercury) and a donation box kept in the preaching centre.?The theft must have been carried out between 12 midnight and 2am, when the devotees were sleeping in the first floor of the preaching centre in Delta ? 2 Sector in Greater Noida. The idols were kept on the ground floor of the building,? said Manish Saxena, the station house officer of Surajpur police station.The thieves apparently used screw drivers to remove screws of window grill and gain entry into the temple, Saxena said.Shri Chaitanya Das, a youth preacher at the centre said the idols of Gaura and Nitai were missing from the sanctum when the devotees woke up in the morning.Das said, ?Generally all the devotees sleep on the first floor of the building and the ground floor, where the idols were kept, is left empty during night. Our days generally start a bit early around 3 am. On Saturday morning, when one of the devotees woke up and went to the ground floor he found that the idols were missing from the preaching hall,? he said.The twin idols, each about 1.5 feet tall, were missing along the donation box, which contained about Rs 20,000 ? Rs 25,000, Das said. The hall was not fitted with CCTV cameras, he added.Surajpur police has registered a case against the unidentified persons and investigating further into the matter.

Dishant Sharma

25 Apr 2017,Tuesday

South African international charged with match-fixing

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lonwabo-tsotsobe-match-fixing-south-africa/1/937456.html

Pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who appeared in five Tests and 61 One Day Internationals for South Africa, has been charged with match-fixing by the nation's cricket board. The charges are related to South Africa's domestic Twenty20 series held in 2015. Six other players have already been banned for trying to fix the outcome of matches in the T20 league.

Former South Africa bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been charged with match fixing and has been suspended immediately after a lengthy investigation, Cricket South Africa said on Monday.

Shubhodeep Datta

24 Dec 2016,Saturday

Kejriwal gets bail in false affidavit case

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/arvind-kejriwal-gets-bail-in-false-affidavit-case/story-kzKUPCbOkkyjN53s6rIXaM.html

A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a case of allegedly giving false information in an affidavit filed in the run up to the 2013 Assembly polls. The case pertains to Kejriwal allegedly giving his Delhi address so as to qualify for contesting polls in Delhi, though he was living in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

A Delhi court on?Saturday granted bail to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a case of allegedly giving false information in an affidavit filed in the run up to 2013 Assembly polls.Metropolitan Magistrate Ashish Gupta granted the relief to Kejriwal, who appeared in court in pursuance to its direction, on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and posted the matter for next hearing on April 7, 2017.The court had on August 31 exempted the CM from appearance for one day while directing him to personally appear before it today, considering that bail proceedings were pending.Kejriwal was allowed exemption by the court on the ground that he could not appear due to ?exigencies of work and some important meetings and discharge of his duties?.The court had summoned Kejriwal in February this year on a criminal complaint filed by Neeraj Saxena and Anuj Agarwal on behalf of the NGO, noting that the politician had prima facie ?willfully concealed? and ?suppressed? his details in 2013 elections.It had noted that there was ?sufficient ground? to proceed against him on allegations that he had concealed his correct address and suppressed the market value of his property in his affidavit to the Election Commission.Earlier, the NGO had approached Delhi High Court with a plea seeking quashing of Kejriwal?s nomination papers on the ground of ?illegalities? in his affidavit.High Court had refused to entertain the plea and directed the petitioners to approach a magisterial court for remedy.The NGO in its petition before the high court had alleged that Kejriwal had violated provisions of the Representation of the People Act by submitting an affidavit which had incorrect details of his assets and income at the time of filing of the nomination.The offence under section 125-A of the Act entails a punishment of six months jail term and/or fine or both.The complaint was filed under several sections of RP Act and IPC for the alleged offences committed by him before holding the office of the Chief Minister of Delhi.The complaint alleged that Kejriwal falsely gave his Delhi address so as to qualify for contesting polls in the capital though he was living at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.This prima facie amounted to willful concealment, suppression and furnishing of false information, it was claimed.

Chhavi Tyagi

26 Jan 2017,Thursday

NSG commandos debut at Republic Day parade

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/republic-day-india-nsg-commandos-rajpath-surgical-attack-terrorism/1/867011.html

In a first, the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos participated in the Republic Day parade. While a contingent of some 60 commandos in black overalls and full-armed gear marched at the Rajpath, several commandos were on seven vehicles with hydraulic ladders mounted on them. Further, NSG's anti-hijacking van 'Sherpa', a bullet-proof armoured vehicle, also made its debut in the parade.

India's elite counter-terrorism force -- the National Security Guard (NSG) -- today made its debut at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.A contingent of some 60 commandos in their black overalls and fully-armed gear marched on the Rajpath, giving ceremonial salute to President Pranab Mukherjee.The other commandos were on seven vehicles with hydraulic ladders mounted on them.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

16 private Noida schools get notice over empty RTE quota

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/noida-16-private-schools-get-notice-over-empty-rte-quota/story-mib1q9aYuUdul4MxwSsb5K.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

As many as 16 private schools in Noida were sent notices for failing to initiate admission process for underprivileged children under the Right to Education Act. The notices were sent based on complaints that schools had been demanding money for admission and were denying admissions. Under RTE, private schools are mandated to offer 25% seats to underprivileged children for free.

The education department of the district administration has issued a notice to 16 schools for failing to initiate the admission process for underprivileged children, under the Right To Education (RTE) Act.The list comprises renowned schools such as Cambridge School, Kothari International School, Modern Public School, Millennium School, Apeejay Public School, Shiv Nadar School and Delhi Public School.Under Section 12 (1) G of the Right to Education Act, 2009, all private schools must offer 25% of their seats to underprivileged children free of cost.Recently, in a meet held among officials of the CBSE, schools and district administration, the district magistrate BN Singh had asked schools to fill their quota of 25% under RTE. Singh had also provided a list of 1,493 children to the schools who were awaiting admission. The list was ascertained after an offline and online draw was organised by the administration.However, according to the district basic education officer, MP Verma, many schools have not started the process of admitting underprivileged children under RTE.?We have received complaints that many schools were demanding money for admission under RTE and that many were also denying admission. We have decided to take strict action against these schools and have given them a final warning asking them to enrol the kids as soon as possible,? said Verma.The schools have been given a two-day window to initiate the admission process. ?If the schools are still adamant on not admitting the kids, then we will take action. A fine of Rs1 lakh will be levied on them and we will write a letter recommending the cancellation of their licence,? said Verma.

Ankur Vyas

17 Dec 2016,Saturday

CSE recommends ban on celebs endorsing high sugar, fat foods

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cse-recommends-ban-on-celebs-endorsing-sugary-foods/1/836668.html

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recommended a complete ban on celebrities endorsing foods high in salt, sugar or fat. Other suggestions made by CSE include strengthening nutrition facts labelling system, ascertaining nutrients and approving food advertisements. It further called Centre's proposed penalty and jail term to celebrities for misleading advertisements as ineffective.

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recommended a complete ban on celebrities endorsing foods high in salt, sugar or fat. Delivering her opening address at the briefing, Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, said, "The government is considering amending the Consumer Protection Act to provide for five-year jail term or a penalty of Rs 50 lakh to hold celebrities responsible for false and misleading claims. "But the same amendment says that there will be no liability if precautions are taken and due diligence is done before deciding to endorse a product. In other words, this amendment amounts to nothing." The expert committee on Consumer Protection Bill, 2015 has recommended a penalty of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment of up to two years or both for a first offence by a celebrity responsible for false and misleading claims. The penalty is Rs 50 lakh and five-year imprisonment for a second offence.

Tanya Dhingra

31 Jul 2017,Monday

I won't do roles like 'heroine's behen' in films: Ridhima

http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/ridhima-pandit-i-will-never-do-crappy-roles-like-heroine-ki-behen-in-films/story-bW9UWCuRFv9eYWA7yHDUXN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

TV actress Ridhima Pandit, known for playing a humanoid robot on the show 'Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant', has said she will not play "crappy roles like the heroine's behen" in films. Ridhima added, "My demand is more on television. If I can be the queen on TV, why should I go and become a princess in films?"

Ridhima Pandit, who shot to fame with the portrayal of a humanoid robot on TV show Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant, is sure that she will never do small roles in films. She says,?I am not getting any good offers, and frankly, I will never play crappy roles like [the] heroine?s behen or anything like that. I want to do roles that are substantial enough to help the story move ahead. Also, my demand is more on television [shows]. If I can be the queen on TV, why should I go and become a princess in films??She is currently seen in the comedy show The Drama Company,which stars comedians such as Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh Lahri, and Sanket Bhosale. Happy that she got a chance to explore the physical comedy space, Ridhima says, ?The whole team is happy having me as a part of the show. The experience is totally different from daily soaps. There are no retakes, and the camera is rolling for at least an hour to shoot the whole gag. Everyone on the sets says that it was commendable of me to pick up live comedy so quickly. It reminded me of my theatre days.? Ridhima adds that she does not want to be a part of any saas-bahu shows. ?Before Bahu Hamari..., I had rejected a lot of offers for such shows. The regressive content of these shows doesn?t convince me, and if I myself am not convinced, I can?t expect my viewers to accept it,? says the actor.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Pragya Swastik

02 Jul 2017,Sunday

Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal earned ?30 cr salary in 2016-17

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sunil-mittal-takes-home-over-rs-30-cr-in-annual-pay-in-fy17/1/992440.html

The billionaire Chairman of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal took home a salary of over ?30 crore in the financial year 2016-17. His annual package was over 8% higher than the previous year when Mittal had drawn a salary of ?27.8 crore. Mittal was re-appointed as Chairman of the company last year for a five-year term.

New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Indias largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel, took home an annual pay package of Rs 30.1 crore for 2016-17. The package was over 8 per cent higher than the previous year, when Mittal had drawn Rs 27.8 crore. Mittal, who was last year re-appointed as Chairman of the company for another five years, received salary and allowances of Rs 20.13 crore, while the performance-linked incentive stood at Rs 9 crore during FY17. That alongwith Rs 1 crore worth of perquisites, took his overall remuneration to Rs 30.14 crore for the year just ended, as per the latest annual report of the telecom company. Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO (India and South Asia) Gopal Vittal earned Rs 9.28 crore during FY17, which is almost 50 per cent higher than the previous fiscal. During the year, he received salary and allowances worth Rs 6.46 crore, Rs 2.82 crore as performance-linked incentive and Rs 28,800 in perquisites. Vittal was also granted 1.5 lakh stock options on August 8, 2016 under ESOP Scheme 2005, with vesting period spread over 3 years.

Chhavi Tyagi

03 Apr 2017,Monday

India did not act to stop violence against Africans: Envoys

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/attack-on-african-students-greater-noida-xenophobia-nigerian-students-envoys/1/919276.html

Reacting to the recent violence against Africans in India, a group of African envoys said, "India took no action to prevent violence against Africans. It didn't properly condemn the Greater Noida attack." They also termed the attacks against African nationals in India as "xenophobic and racial" and sought an international inquiry into the matter along with demanding strong condemnation.

Condemning the recent attacks on their students in Greater Noida, a group of African envoys have accused India of taking no action against the violence, which they said was "xenophobic and racial" in nature."India took no action to prevent violence against Africans. It didn't properly condemn the Greater Noida attack," the African envoys said in a statement. "No known, sufficient and visible deterring measures were taken," it added.Calling the attacks "xenophobic and racial", the envoys said they expect strong condemnation and action from India. "These reprehensible events, both outstanding and unresolved cases against Africans, were not sufficiently condemned by the Indian authorities," they said.At least two incidents of attacks on Nigerian students were reported from Greater Noida last Monday following the death of a Class 12 student, who allegedly died of drug overdose.In another attack the same evening, caught on camera, a Nigerian student was brutally beaten by a large mob inside Greater Noida's Ansal Plaza mall.

Anmol Sharma

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

I will show Vijender what Chinese are capable of: Zulpikar

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vijender-singh-zulpikar-maimaitiali-india-china-boxing/1/1016072.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Responding to Vijender Singh's comment that "Chinese products don't last too long", Chinese boxer and Singh's next opponent Zulpikar Maimaitiali said, "I will show Vijender what Chinese are capable of. We have shown India time and again...it's time that Vijender too learns his lesson." Singh and Maimaitiali will take on each other in a double title bout on August 5.

China's number one boxer and WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion Zulpikar Maimaitali has hit back at Vijender Singh ahead of Asia's biggest showdown 'Battleground Asia', saying he will show the Indian knockout king what "Chinese are capable of".Ahead of the bout, Vijender had trolled his Chinese opponent and said that he would try to finish the bout as soon as possible as "Chinese products don't last long".Replying to Vijender's comments Maimaitiali said, "I will show Vijender what Chinese are capable of. We have shown India time and again what China is capable of, it is time that Vijender too learns his lesson. I am coming to your home Vijender on 5th August and will take back your belt along with mine. I am going to knock you out in the early rounds"."I am fully prepared for this fight, this will be a big fight of my career as I am eying second belt of my pro career. I don't think he ever stood a chance in front of me, he thinks I am a kid. I will show what this kid is made of," he added.This fight between two top boxers of Asian subcontinent will decide the 'King of Asia'.China's undefeated star boxer has eight bouts under his name, same as Vijender. Zulpikar has five knock out wins and has fought 24 rounds. His last bout was with African boxer Thomas Mashali where he won his current title -- WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion last year. Zulpikar turned towards professional boxing in April 2015.Vijender, who remained unbeaten since his debut in professional boxing, has fought eight bouts, last one being against former world number one boxer Francis Cheka from Tanzania, where he defended his title.

Saloni Tandon

12 Dec 2016,Monday

Saina Nehwal to set up badminton academy in Haryana

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/saina-nehwal-badminton-haryana-government/1/832319.html

Shuttler Saina Nehwal will open a badminton academy in Manesar, Haryana, after the Haryana government announced they will allot land to her for the project. The announcement was made by Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited's Managing Director Sudhir Rajpal at a roadshow in Hyderabad on Sunday. The proposal was reportedly made by Saina's father, Harvir Singh.

Ace women badminton player Saina Nehwal will be provided land by the Haryana government to set up a badminton academy in the state.The land to the international star will be provided by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HSIIDC) at Manesar in Gurgaon district, 45 km from New Delhi. (Also read: Saina Nehwal hints at abrupt end to career)

Prashanti Moktan

02 Jul 2017,Sunday

China cancels media trip for Indian journos amid stand-off

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/china-india-border-stand-off-sikkim-trijunction-pla-doka-la/1/992482.html

The annual media trip to Tibet organised by China for journalists from its neighbouring countries has been cancelled for five Indian journalists amid the India-China stand-off. No official reason was given by Chinese embassy officials. Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents Convenor Vijay Naik said the Chinese may be waiting for a conducive atmosphere to resume the media programme.

China has called off the annual media trip that it organises for journalists to travel to Tibet. Following the recent border stand-off between Chinese and Indian troops, the tour of five Indian and as many Nepalese journalists has been cancelled.No official reason was given by the embassy officials to the journalists. One of the participants, Vijay Naik, Convenor of Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents said, "The invite was received but because the tensions have increased the Chinese may have thought of letting things cool down and let the atmosphere become conducive again for the media programme to resume. But, we have no official communication explaining the reason for the cancellation."The trip was to commence from July 8 and end on July 15. It was only on Saturday that the participants were informed of the cancellation when they were all set for the journey. Speaking to India Today Agni Roy, Senior Editor with Ananda Bazaar Patrika said, "We all were waiting to go to Tibet. My passport is still deposited in the Chinese embassy as I was supposed to get my visa on Monday. It is really disappointing".The Chinese embassy organises these annual trips to Tibet with journalists from the region. This last minute cancellation many believe is the direct result of the border tensions at the tri-junction where India (in Sikkim), China and Bhutan meet.

Abhishek Bansal

24 Mar 2017,Friday

800 surgeries postponed in Delhi after doctors' mass leave

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-800-surgeries-postponed-as-resident-doctors-go-on-mass-casual-leave/story-ludj4X37qtp7xPDdsa1OiP.html

Over 800 surgeries across Delhi government and civic body-run hospitals had to be postponed after more than 20,000 resident doctors in the national capital went on mass casual leave on Thursday. The doctors went on leave in solidarity with a similar move by their Maharashtra counterparts over rising cases of assault on doctors by patients' relatives.

More than 20,000 resident doctors in the national capital on Thursday went on mass casual leave in solidarity with their Maharashtra counterparts, leading to postponement of over 800 surgeries across Delhi government and civic body-run hospitals, and also left thousands of patients in the lurch with OPD functions hit.Resident doctors in Delhi went on mass casual leave in solidarity with a similar move by their Maharashtra counterparts over rising cases of assault on doctors by patients? kin.According to hospital staff, due to resident doctors remaining absent from their duties the OPD registration counters were shut in several government hospitals after 10am, instead of the usual time 1pm, compelling patients to return. ?At Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) the OPD card counters were shut immediately after the resident doctors went off their duties as part of mass casual leave. Many patients had no idea initially and kept standing in the queue,? said Sanjana Rawat, a nurse at LHMC.There are 38 hospitals under the Delhi government. Resident doctors in hospitals under the central government, except the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, were also part of the protest. Delhi government hospitals every day witness nearly 1,600 pre-scheduled surgeries and over 200 emergency ones.Patients in several other government hospitals such as Lal Bahadur Sastri Hospital, Dadadev Mother and Child Hospital and GB Pant were affected as only the emergency departments were functional and even the normal medicine OPD remained partially operational.?Nearly 60 per cent of patients at Dadadev Mother and Child hospital could not get doctors consultation or treatment due to the protest. However, the emergency cases were somehow treated as resident doctors having duty in emergency department were not part of the protest,? said Nirupam Ghosh, associated with the administration wing of Dadadev Mother and Child hospital. Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) -- under whose banner the protest was being held in Delhi -- said of the 5,400 OPD cards registered in Delhi government hospitals on Thursday only 25 per cent of patients could consult doctors. The resident doctors have also threatened to go on a pan India strike soon if the government fails to ensure them a safe atmosphere to perform their duties. ?This mass casual leave was just an indication of what we can do to ensure our safety. If the health ministry does not take necessary steps to stop assault on doctors we will go on pan India strike,? said Pankaj Solanki, President FORDA, told IANS.Several private hospitals also came out in support of the protest by resident doctors.Sir Ganga Ram Hospital chairman DS Rana said that in solidarity with the ?concerns of safety of doctors? the general and private OPDs of the hospital will not function on Friday. The inpatient as well as emergency services will function normally.City-based Fortis condemned the rising cases of assault on doctors, but added the hospital will continue to function normally.?A safe and secure work environment is the basic requirement for care givers to provide best possible medical care to patients. We at Fortis Healthcare are firmly committed to our patients, and our medical services remain unhampered as our doctors continue to serve the community, as always,? a statement said.As part of the protest, resident doctors have also decided to sport black arm bands on March 24 during work.

Ankur Vyas

11 Feb 2017,Saturday

CRPF DG refuses farewell parade to ease troops' burden

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/crpf-chief-k-durga-prasad-farewell-parade-cobra-crpf-personnel-guard-of-honour/1/880271.html

In a bid to avoid additional pressure on the troops, outgoing CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad has refused the ceremonial farewell parade planned for his retirement. "As such the CRPF is stretched. Then is the additional responsibility of ongoing elections," the 1981 batch IPS officer said. He instead visited the troops and tried to address their concerns, Prasad added.

A step to ease some pressure from a vast body of stressed troops has been taken.In what many have termed an 'unprecedented departure from an age-old norm', the Director General of the India's biggest central armed police force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), K Durga Prasad has declined a farewell parade being planned for his retirement at the end of the month. This is, in his own words, keeping the 'convenience of the force in mind'.From being deployed for the conduct of elections to supporting counter-insurgency operations to aiding the police, the 239-battalion strong CRPF is among the most extensively deployed forces.WHY NO FAREWELL PARADEIn his first reaction, K Durga Prasad, a 1981 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer said, "As such the CRPF is stretched. Then is the additional responsibility of ongoing elections. In this, a farewell parade would have meant that my personnel would be committed for an extended period to duties which are ceremonial in nature". Instead, "I visited my troops where they are, heard them and am trying to address their issues", he said. Travelling over weekends, clearing files till late in the evening in office and camping for night halts between troop locations is indeed a norm for the present DG. He asked his staff to arrange a simple Guard of Honour to mark the end of his career.  Durga Prasad enjoys the reputation of being a hands-on leader with his ear to the ground. From taking the Maoists head-on in united Andhra Pradesh as the leader of 'Greyhounds' force, he also held charge of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) between November 2011 and November 2014. He also, as the Inspector General (IG), played a role in raising CRPF's own commando force, CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action). His choice, to many, reflects an acknowledgement of something being amiss.Also read | Exclusive: CRPF working on mobile app for its 3 lakh jawans   A uniformed force functions on the principle of alternative posting for its personnel. From areas considered 'hard', personnel should be posted to areas considered 'soft'. This so that adequate rest, recuperation and training can be provided. However, forces like the CRPF have almost junked this principle. Rest, recuperation and training have been reduced merely to concepts on paper, say insiders. "From a 50 per cent divide into hard and soft areas, the CRPF is more than 80 per cent into hard areas. Where is the room for respite?", asked an informed source. DURGA PRASAD'S MOVE WELCOMEDAn officer of the CRPF, who has previously organised farewell parades termed Durga Prasad's decision a 'welcome move'. He recounted, "For about a month, nearly 1,000 troops pooled in from all across the country march up and down in practice for the farewell parade at the CRPF training academy near Gurugram. In comparison, a Guard of Honour will involve not more than 100 troops". DC Dey is a highly-regarded veteran, who retired as the Additional Director General of the CRPF. In his opinion, Durga Prasad's move deserves to be 'commended'. "Someone retiring as a DG definitely deserves a show. However, very few outside have an idea of how much stress the force personnel are under. When elections are around the corner, we cancel all leaves".

Chhavi Tyagi

07 Jan 2017,Saturday

Women are sensual beings: Omji Maharaj

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/omji-maharaj-says-women-are-sensual-beings-will-attract-sexual-predators-if-not-fully-covered/1/851695.html

Self-proclaimed religious leader Swami Omji Maharaj on a TV news channel has said that women are sexual beings and would attract sexual predators, the way jaggery attracts flies, if not fully dressed. The remarks made by Omji, a Bigg Boss 10 contestant, came amid the ongoing rage after Bengaluru mass molestation incident that happened on the New Year's Eve.

Hindu Mahasabha president Swami Omji Maharaj, one of the panelists in Rahul Kanwal's primetime show Newsroom, made controversial remarks about women and held their dressing sensibilities accountable for sexual assaults they face in India. Omji, who described womem as sensual beings, was of the opinion that short skirts invite trouble and that women in burqa are safer. He said women, if not fully clothed, will attract sexual predators the way jaggery attracts flies.Omji's comments come at a time when millions across India are enraged by the Bengaluru mass molestation incident that happened on the New Year's Eve and the news of a woman groped and robbed in Bengaluru a couple of days before. Many people, including celebrities like Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu, Malaika Arora Khan and Virat Kohli, condemned the situation in India where women are unsafe regardless of the clothes they wear or where they are at, at any given point of time or whom they are with, but there are also many people who share Omji Maharaj's views.Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi had ignited outrage after he remarked that Indian women are trying to ape the western culture by opting to wear revealing clothes and made a statement similar to Omji, "If there's gasoline, there will be fire. If there's spilt sugar, ants will gravitate towards it for sure," implying that women are responsible for inviting sexual predators.  Azmi said, "In these modern times, the more skin women show, the more they are considered fashionable. If my sister or daughter stays out beyond sunset celebrating December 31 with a man who isn't their husband or brother, that's not right."Farhan Akhtar and Varun Dhawan, Bollywood actors, had expressed their contempt to Azmi's statement on Twitter. Women should not dress like westerners b'coz men dressed like westerners are molesters, says the man in the shirt.#oxy(deprived)moronsArgggh how this angers me.Sir punish the criminals not the victims. Women can wear what they want it's their choice. https://t.co/HSpRjlRq8AWhen one of the women panelists, senior lawyer Karuna Nundy asked Omji whether he thinks he has the right to touch a girl, standing fully nude in front of him, he said, "many Bollywood actresses have come completely nude in front of me and even tried to seduce me. I am a "sanyasi" who has control over my senses and desires, but not all men can do that".BJP leader Nupur Sharma said that there is no written law in India or in the Constitution that dictates how women should dress or live their lives, just like there are none for men. She also asked Omji to be more responsible with his words. Columnist Advaita Kala, another woman panelist, had a few good (sarcastic) laughs listening to Omji's regressive remarks and we can't blame her. Senior journalist and achor Rahul Kanwal gave a piece of his mind to Omji Maharaj for saying, "stop aping western culture, I ensure there will be no rapes in India," saying "then what about 6-month-old babies and 80-year-old women getting raped?"

Rini Sinha

16 Apr 2017,Sunday

I still look at myself as an outsider in Bollywood: Swara

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/i-still-look-at-myself-as-an-outsider-swara-bhaskar/1/930265.html

Actress Swara Bhaskar has said that she still looks at herself as an outsider in Bollywood. She added, "It is not easy for anyone to make a mark in this industry. I struggle each day to do the work that I am doing." Swara further said that according to her, she hasn't yet made her mark in Bollywood.

Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) From "Tanu Weds Manu" to "Anaarkali Of Aarah", Swara Bhaskar has given many critically acclaimed performances but the actress says she still feels like an outsider in Bollywood as it is tough to make a mark in the industry so soon. "It is not easy for anyone to make a mark in this industry. I struggle each day to do the work that I am doing. It is extremely difficult, as difficult as it could be in any profession. "I dont think I have still made a mark for myself. I still look at myself like as an outsider. I like it that way. Getting a good role is a tough job," Swara told PTI. Even though, her acting skills are always applauded, Swara believes commercial success is as important as critical acclaim. "It is very important for me because its very important for the producers to back great films. Box office success in a way encourages good content, good cinema."

Arshiya Chopra

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Stray dogs maul infant's dead body inside Indore hospital

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/stray-dogs-drag-infant-s-body-from-indore-hospital-mortuary-maul-it/story-IDlQBGOCnbMw3N85xxrVDJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Stray dogs on Sunday dragged an infant's body from a mortuary of an Indore's government hospital and mauled it in the hospital premises. On witnessing the incident, a visitor rescued the body from the dogs and informed the police. The police said the infant's body was kept carelessly in the mortuary and they have registered a case against the hospital.

Stray dogs mauled an infant?s body inside a government hospital in Indore on Sunday morning. The shocking scene was not noticed by the staff of Maharaja Yeshwantrao government hospital but by a visitor who took the body away from the dogs and also informed the local police about it. The hospital has shown similar apathy towards the dead in the past. In January, a body of a newborn was mauled by the dogs while a youth?s body was found swarming by ants in?May.According to eyewitnesses, they saw a dog carrying the body of a newborn in its mouth in the garden of the hospital premises. Few more dogs joined and started mauling the baby.?When patients and their relatives saw the dogs mauling the body, they gathered at the garden?s gate which was locked. They shouted but nobody from the hospital administration paid attention to them. I had come to attend my relative. I jumped upon the gate and shooed the dogs away,? said Tikam Sharma, a resident of Indore.Other visitors who witnessed the scene said despite repeated attempts to contact the hospital superintendent, VS Paul, the latter neither answered the call nor came to the hospital. .Indore Sanyogitaganj police station in-charge Manju Yadav said, ?In the preliminary investigation, it was found that the body was of a newborn, who died after just after his birth. The body was kept carelessly in the mortuary from where it dragged by the dog. The body was sent for post mortem and things will be more clear after the report comes. We have registered a case and further investigation is on.?

Chhavi Tyagi

01 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Rijiju shares video of jawan slamming Afzal supporters, JNU

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/ramjas-row-rijiju-tweets-video-of-jawan-attacking-jnu-afzal-sympathisers/story-VCmPPH2SjGoMQs45ZeUTkI.html

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has shared a video on Twitter wherein a jawan is seen slamming sympathisers of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jawaharlal Nehru University students. "The biggest threat is from those who live in this country but give slogans of Bharat murdabad," the soldier in the video, identified as Shriram Gorde, says.

Junior home minister Kiren Rijiju refueled a raging debate on nationalism, tweeting on Wednesday a video of an Indian Army soldier lecturing against a section of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and supporters of the 2001 Parliament attack convict.The minister, who is a BJP parliamentarian from Arunachal Pradesh, drew flak on Monday when he posted an acerbic tweet against Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, an army martyr?s daughter, for broadcasting her dislike for the right-wing ABVP.Rijiju dug up an old video of soldier Shriram Gorde to hit out at his critics.?Pain runs deeper than the Ocean. Very sad that our jawans are forced to speak with heavy heart,? he wrote in his message to go with the video.Pain runs deeper than the Ocean. Very sad that our jawans are forced to speak with heavy heart. pic.twitter.com/1AbLScDnor? Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 1, 2017Gorde is seen in the video speaking against sympathisers of the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged in February 2013, JNU students who held a rally during his death anniversary last year, and critics of the army?s ?surgical strike? last September against militants holed up in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.?We don?t feel sad to see Afzal Guru being hanged. But we are sad to see people chant slogans that ?Afzal hum sharminda hai, tere qatil zinda hai? (Afzal we are ashamed that your killer is still alive),? he says in the footage, referring to the controversial event at JNU that triggered a nationwide debate on nationalism.The video is viewed as an attempt to garner public support against opposition parties and a section of Delhi University students who have been at loggerheads with the BJP-backed ABVP, which has been accused of last week?s campus violence over an invite to two JNU students for a seminar in Ramjas College.?We feel sad when thousands of people come out in support of such people (backers of Guru). I feel sad when thousands of people join the funeral procession of a terrorist,? says the soldier enlisted in 9 Maratha Infantry and posted in Gujarat?s Jamnagar.The video was shot at an annual weapons display for schoolchildren on December 28 last year.Gorde been attending the function for the past two years and gave a speech on each of the occasions, he said over the phone to Hindustan Times.?I speak from the heart. Whatever I feel about the current situation of the country, I said in my speech. If the current atmosphere continues, the country may face another Partition. I expressed my pain,? he said, explaining why he lectured on highly political and sensitive subjects that a soldier is not supposed to speak about, especially in public.?I am a soldier for the past 13 years. I know there is code of conduct for a military man but I said what I had to say. It was cultural programme, and I just expressed what I felt deep in my heart,? Gorde said.A BSF soldier was strictly censured after he posted in January videos on Facebook showing poor quality food at his unit in Jammu and Kashmir, and accused senior officers of corruption in the supply of military rations.But Gorde appears to have Union minister Rijiju?s support for now.

Tarun Khanna

22 Apr 2017,Saturday

MCD polls litmus test for Ajay Maken: Sheila Dikshit

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mcd-polls-litmus-test-for-maken-dikshit/1/935274.html

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit on Friday said the MCD polls are a litmus test for the Congress' Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken. "Let us wait for the election results...If Congress wins a good number of seats, then what we are thinking would be proved wrong," she added. Notably, Dikshit's name wasn't in the party's top campaigners list.

New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit today said the MCD polls are a litmus test for the Congresss Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken and hit out at Arvinder Singh Lovely, who quit the party to join the BJP, terming him an "opportunist". She said that if Congress manages to win a "good number" of seats in the municipal corporation elections, then Maken will prove his detractors in Delhi Congress wrong. "Let us wait for the election results when we will be really able to judge whether our impression is correct or incorrect. If Congress wins a good number of seats then what we are thinking would be proved wrong," she said when asked about questions on Makens style of functioning. Dikshits name was not included in the list of partys top campaigners although Maken had claimed that he had a written to her for participating in the campaigning for party candidates.

Chhavi Tyagi

28 Jun 2017,Wednesday

Women cut private parts of Armymen in revenge for rape: Azam

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/azam-khan-indian-army-women-rape-jammu-and-kashmir/1/989092.html

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has accused the Indian Army of raping women in Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Assam, and added that females beat up soldiers and cut their private parts in revenge. "India's truth is that women are forced to act against Army rapists. It is a message that Hindustan should be ashamed of," Khan added.

In a shocking remark, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan today said the excesses of the Army in Jammu and Kashmir and other sensitive areas forced women to chop off the private parts of soldiers in revenge."Soldiers have been beaten by women in Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam and their private parts were also chopped off... India's truth is that women are forced to act against Army rapists. It is a message that Hindustan should be ashamed of," Khan, notorious for his controversial remarks, said at an event in his bastion Rampur in western Uttar Pradesh."India is deviating from its path after six decades and is adopting the path of bullet instead of ballot and the result is there for everybody to see," the former Uttar Pradesh minister said.Last month, Khan had asked people to keep womenfolk indoors to protect them from molesters. The statement had come in the backdrop of molestation and groping of two women by over a dozen youths in Rampur.#WATCH Senior SP leader Azam Khan's statement on the Army pic.twitter.com/17v4x6I92AA video clip that went viral on social media showed the youths accosting two women, groping and molesting them while they repeatedly pleaded and begged to let go."After the Bulandshahr incident, everyone should try to keep women of the family indoors. Girls should not go to places where there is naked dance of shamelessness," said Azam Khan while referring to the July 2016 gang rape of a minor and her mother in Bulandshahr.Khan has a penchant for making controversial statements. He was made to apologise by the Supreme Court for calling the Bulandshahr case a "political conspiracy".ALSO READ:

Ankush Verma

11 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Trump's son shares emails of Russian effort to aid campaign

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/donald-trump-jr-email-chain-russia-hillary-clinton?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

US President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr on Tuesday released emails showing he was offered "sensitive" information on Hillary Clinton by a Russian lawyer before the US presidential elections. Trump Jr was reportedly informed ahead of a meeting with the lawyer that the information was part of an effort by the Russian government to help the Trump campaign.

Donald Trump Jr has been forced to release damning emails that reveal he eagerly embraced what he was told was a Russian government attempt to damage Hillary Clinton?s election campaign.The stunning disclosure raised questions over whether campaign laws were broken and why senior Trump associates failed to report a hostile act by a foreign power.Trump Jr also admitted on Tuesday night that he could have handled the situation better but he had not told his father about meeting a Russian lawyer because ?it was a nothing?.The emails show music promoter Rob Goldstone telling the future US president?s son that ?the crown prosecutor of Russia? had offered ?to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father?.British-born Goldstone adds in the exchange of 3 June 2016: ?This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government?s support for Mr Trump.?Seventeen minutes later, Trump Jr welcomes this with the reply: ?If it?s what you say, I love it, especially later in the summer.?In a later email, Goldstone describes the Russian lawyer they are due to meet, Natalia Veselnitskaya, as a ?Russian government attorney?.Natalia Veselnitskaya is the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort at Trump Tower on 9 June 2016. Trump Jr has published emails showing Veselnitskaya was introduced to him as a ?Russian government attorney? who had damaging information about Hillary Clinton.Veselnitskaya is a defence lawyer based just outside Moscow, whose main client in recent years has been Denis Katsyv, a businessman accused of profiting from a major tax fraud uncovered by lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. She fought his case in US courts and mounted a PR campaign to try to clear Katsyv?s name and overturn the ?Magnitsky Act? sanctions against Russian officials that followed.Veselnitskaya is not a government official and portrays herself as a lawyer with a private client. The question, then, is how she was able to secure the meeting at Trump Tower during a presidential campaign and why she was introduced to Trump Jr as representing the Russian government.Trump Jr agrees, adding that he would probably be accompanied by ?Paul Manafort (campaign boss)? and ?my brother-in-law,? Jared Kushner, husband of Trump?s daughter Ivanka and now a senior White House adviser.The formatting of the emails suggests that Trump Jr forwarded the whole chain to Manafort and Kushner before the meeting the three attended with Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in New York on 9 June.On Sunday, Trump Jr had said he had asked Manafort and Kushner to attend but not told them what the meeting was about. An associate of Manafort said on Tuesday that the former campaign chairman claims not to have read to the bottom of the chain of emails forwarded to him and Kushner by Trump Jr about the meeting. Jamie Gorelick, an attorney for Jared Kushner, did not respond to questions about whether Kushner read the emails and why he attended the meeting.Critics seized on the new disclosures to question why three of Trump?s closest advisers were willing to accept such a meeting instead of alerting authorities to interference by a foreign adversary. Special counsel Robert Mueller and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating Russian meddling in the election, thought to include stealing Democratic National Committee emails and the use of social-media bots to spread fake news about Clinton.My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency.Trump Jr has offered shifting explanations for the meeting in recent days. In an interview broadcast on conservative Fox News on Tuesday night, he again sought to justify his motives but conceded that he could have handled the situation better.?In retrospect I probably would have done things a little differently,? he told interviewer Sean Hannity. ?Again this is before the Russia mania, this is before they were building this up in the press.Trump Jr denied that he told his father about the meeting. ?It was just a nothing,? he added. ?There was nothing to tell. I mean, I wouldn?t have even remembered it until you started scouring through this stuff. It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame.?Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a short statement from the president at the regular White House press briefing. ?My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency.?She then refused to answer several questions on the matter, saying they must be directed to Trump Jr?s legal counsel and outside counsel.Asked about the president?s reaction to the unfolding drama, Huckabee Sanders replied: ?I think the president is, I would say, frustrated with the process, the fact this continues to be an issue and he would love for us to be focused on issues like the economy, healthcare, tax reform, infrastructure.?Clinton?s running mate Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia and member of the foreign relations committee, told MSNBC: ?These emails are explosive. This should have set off alarm bells and red lights, and yet what it seemed to do is activate their salivatory glands. This is just wheelbarrows of new evidence for the special counsel and the Senate intelligence committee.?Trump Jr released the email chain on Tuesday apparently to pre-empt its publication by the New York Times, which, this weekend, first broke the news of his meeting with Veselnitskaya in June last year. Veselnitskaya had promised compromising information about Clinton but apparently failed to deliver.In a statement posted to Twitter, Trump Jr explained: ?To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue.?There is no such position as crown prosecutor of Russia, but the most likely candidate would be the long-serving prosecutor general, and a long-standing member of Vladimir Putin?s elite, Yuri Chaika.Goldstone told the Wall Street Journal his reference to the ?crown prosecutor? was meant to mean Veselnitskaya. ?It?s a language thing,? he said. He referred questions from the Guardian to his lawyer.Trump Jr has given varying reasons for why he accepted the meeting, first claiming it was to discuss American adoptions of Russian children, then acknowledging that he was interested in information about Clinton.The president?s eldest son denies any wrongdoing and tweeted on Tuesday: ?Media and Dems are extremely invested in the Russia story. If this nonsense meeting is all they have after a year, I understand the desperation!?Goldstone told the Associated Press on Monday he set up the meeting on behalf of a client, pop star Emin Agalarov, the son of a Moscow-based developer, Aras Agalarov, who has close ties to Putin and tried to partner with Trump in a hotel project.Aras Agalarov worked with Donald Trump to bring the Miss Universe contest to Moscow in 2013. Trump appeared in a music video with Emin Agalarov that featured several Miss Universe contestants.Goldstone?s 3 June email says the Russian government?s support for Trump is ?helped along by Aras and Emin?. He asks if Trump Jr wants to speak to Emin about it directly and proposes: ?I can also send this info to your father via Rhona? ? presumably Rhona Graff, Donald Trump?s longtime executive assistant ? ?but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.? It is not clear from the emails whether Goldstone did send any of the information to Trump Sr, who has denied all knowledge of the meeting through his lawyer. Before the publication of Trump Jr?s emails, Veselnitskaya had denied she had gone to the meeting with information about the Clinton campaign. ?It?s quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information, they wanted it so badly,? she told NBC, denying that she had any to offer. She also answered ?no? when asked if she had ever worked for the Russian government.Later, Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US, dismissed the significance of the Trump Jr meeting. ?I don?t think anything about it and to be honest there are more serious things to be think about in relation to Russia,? he told the Guardian at a US-Russia Business Council farewell reception in Washington.Trump Jr was at Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday, according to a police officer at the building.Eric Trump, Donald Jr?s brother, was spotted in the lobby at around 1.30pm with his wife Lara. Asked by the Guardian if he had any comment on his brother?s emails or knew Goldstone himself, Eric Trump did not respond. He then headed quickly to a gold elevator and headed upwards, staring silently ahead.The revelations around 39-year-old Trump Jr?s involvement is one of the biggest blows yet in the saga of the Trump campaign?s alleged ties to Russia, which the president has dismissed as a ?hoax?.Republicans on Capitol Hill were taken aback but reluctant to weigh in just yet. At least two Republicans on the Senate intelligence committee, Senators John Cornyn and James Lankford, said Trump Jr should testify before the panel, which is overseeing one of three parallel investigations into Russian interference in the US election.John McCain, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, said there were ?many allusions and many stories of meetings and communications?, while noting he expected there was more yet to come.Richard Burr, the Republican chief of the Senate intelligence committee, said it was ?too early to draw any conclusions?.Burr?s Democratic counterpart, Mark Warner, said it was significant that the emails had been forwarded to Kushner and Manafort.?They?ve got a lot of explaining to do, because all these denials of any knowledge of Russian government involvement seems to be a gross contradiction here,? Warner told Roll Call.Some of Trump?s most ardent defenders nonetheless stood by the president. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who competed bitterly against Trump for the Republican nomination, blamed the media for fixating on Russia.?Russia is a significant adversary,? he told reporters. ?Part of the irony of this media obsession with Russia is that the Obama administration began with Hillary Clinton bringing the big reset button with Russia.Norm Eisen, former ethics czar under President Barack Obama, said: ?It?s another significant step forward in the investigation of Trump collusion with Russia because it represents an offer to collude and an acceptance of collusion to harm the campaign of Hillary Clinton and intrude upon our democracy.?He added: ?I believe it?s potentially legally actionable but we need to let the investigation play out. I predict it will not be the last bombshell.?Additional reporting by Shaun Walker in Moscow and Oliver Laughland and Jon Swaine in New YorkHere's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQHere is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq

Ankur Vyas

29 Apr 2017,Saturday

Nearly 400 judicial officers transferred in Uttar Pradesh

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nearly-400-judicial-officers-transferred-in-up/1/941372.html

The Allahabad High Court has transferred around 400 judicial officers, almost half of them of the ranks of Additional District Judge and Sessions Judge. All the officials have been asked to be ready to hand over the charge at their present place of posting on May 8. The most comprehensive reshuffle has been done in Jhansi, Banda, Moradabad and Sitapur.

Allahabad, Apr 29 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has transferred close to 400 judicial officers, nearly half of them of the Additional District and Sessions Judge rank, in a major reshuffle in the lower judiciary in Uttar Pradesh. According to the notifications issued yesterday by the High Courts Registrar General Dinesh Kumar Singh, the transferred judicial officers include 199 ADJs posted in regular courts and another eight of the same rank posted at fast track courts in various districts. All the judicial officers have been directed to "keep themselves ready to hand over charge at their present place of posting on May 8". The reshuffle has been markedly comprehensive in the districts like Jhansi, Banda, Moradabad and Sitapur - each of them having six ADJs to have been shifted elsewhere. Lucknow, Meerut, Mainpuri, Bijnor and Hamirpur have five transferred ADJs each.