Latvian firefighters today wound down their search for victims of a supermarket cave-in, four days after the tragedy killed 54 in the capital Riga. "No more bodies were found" since Saturday, state fire and rescue service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele told AFP, confirming the search was over. 

Arvind Kejriwal got a taste of his own medicine as an NGO, which has extended support to Aam Aadmi Party, today launched a campaign against him by pasting posters on the back of autorickshaws questioning the party's move to deny ticket to auto drivers in Delhi polls. 

Under attack over alleged snooping on a woman by Gujarat police, Narendra Modi government today appointed a two-member Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired woman judge of the Ahmedabad High Court. 

Lodged in separate cells amid high security, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were "inconsolable" and refused to have dinner,according to officials at Dasna prison, where the couple were brought after being convicted for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.

After the CBI court pronounced its verdict, the dentist couple were taken into custody and taken to Dasna Jail in a blue police gypsy, escorted by two other vehicles.

They reached the jail at around 4 pm, and looked visibly distressed as they alighted the vehicle.

"As the quantum of punishment is yet to be delivered, they have been kept in separate cells with high security. Women police personnel have been deputed for Nupur Talwar," said a senior jail official, who didn't wish to be named.

Beleaguered Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra tonight declared emergency in the capital after anti-government demonstrators stormed the compounds of two key ministries, dramatically escalating their protests aimed at toppling her regime.

"While the government will enforce the laws it will not use force against the people," Prime Minister Yingluck said as she invoked the Internal Security Act in the entire capital and surrounding areas.

"The government would like to ask people not to join illegal protests and to respect the law," she said.

The move came after hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed into the finance ministry compound and later forced their way into the foreign ministry building. Both the compounds were apparently left unguarded.

The anti-government protesters broke down the gates to the foreign ministry and after occupying an area of the compound they asked civil servants to leave and not to return to work tomorrow, an official said.

A Group of seven Ministers on Telangana drove to 10, Janpath to brief Congress president Sonia Gandhi on six crucial issues -- the foremost of them -- the status of Hyderabad.

Defence Minister A K Antony differed from Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Hyderabad and on 371D (which empowers the President to provide reservations in education and employment to people of specific regions within Andhra Pradesh).

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh read out point-by-point terms of reference and reminded that it is the Congress Working Committee's direction to the government.

The GoM was seeking Sonia's political direction.

The GoM may meet the President and the prime minister on Tuesday before the draft report and the Bill are agreed approved by them on Wednesday.

NDTV reports: Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, convicted today of murdering their daughter Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj, were compared in the verdict to "freaks in the history of mankind where the father and mother became the killer of their own progeny."

Judge Shyam Lal said the Talwars had also been found guilty "of secreting and obliterating the evidence of the commission of the murders to screen themselves from legal punishment."

Read the full report here

The information and broadcasting ministry is considering recommending the name of late singer Manna Dey for Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award.

The ministry, which is required to make recommendations for the Padma awards to the home ministry, had asked the various units under it to give suitable names, sources said. They added that one of the names suggested was that of the legendary singer who died last month.

"Normally, the Padma awards are not given posthumously but exceptions can be made, especially in highly-deserving cases if the demise of the person proposed to be honoured has been recent," a source said.

The Election Commission has decided that it will not undertake any investigation into the sting operation against the Aam Aadmi Party conducted by a media website, reports our correspondent from New Delhi.

Madhya Pradesh today registered the highest ever polling with 70 per cent, the Election Commission said. The poll panel also said that the final figure is likely to go further up.

A case has also been registered against Madhya Pradesh Minister Ranjana Baghel in Dhar district for allegedly bribing voters.

Kamal Nath, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, is set to interact with leaders of the Opposition Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj on crucial Bills, including the controversial insurance bill. With the winter session of Parliament to commence from December 5, Kamal Nath has been busy in the Madhya Pradesh election campaign and is expected to reach Delhi on Wednesday.

The Group of Ministers on Telangana received representations on determination of boundaries of the proposed new state of Telangana and the remaining regions in Andhra Pradesh with reference to the electoral constituencies, judicial and statutory bodies and other administrative units from Union ministers belonging to the Telangana, Rayalaseema and Andhra regions. Read the full story here.

In other news: Three options were suggested for Hyderabad in the draft report of the Group of Ministers (GOM) on Telangana, but the details are yet to be revealed.

The 28-page draft report was prepared by the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and will be discussed at an informal meeting of the GoM at 4:30 pm at Defence Minister AK Antony's residence tomorrow.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will then take the draft report to the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi and on Thursday the Union Cabinet is expected to discuss the report of the GoM and also the Draft Bill on Telangana.

With the completion of the process of consultations, the GoM on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh is likely to finalise its recommendations in a couple of days for their inclusion in the draft bill for formation of separate Telangana state.

The GoM, which is looking into various issues related to bifurcation, is expected to speed up the whole process at its next meeting, scheduled to be held Thursday at New Delhi.

Couple accused of holding women as slaves in house in UK revealed as leaders of bizarre Maoist sect. Read

Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attacks on Mumbai by Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists, the new lawyer of the seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the incident on Monday claimed the evidence provided by India was a "sham".

"The dossiers provided by India are information and not evidence as needed by the court. The evidence provided by India is a sham," Raja Rizwan Abbasi, counsel for Lashkar commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other accused, told a news conference in Islamabad.  Read more

Mayank Shekhar: What is it that so many sensible writers/journos Patrick French, Avirook Sen et al can see but courts can't? Puzzling #Aarushi case

The woman journalist -- the victim of the sexual assault says in her resignation from Tehelka that the organisation has "failed women, employees journalists, feminists".

The Goa police press conference on the Tarun Tejpal sex assault case. The Goa police says that victim has agreed to cooperate with the police and is likely to be taken to Goa, where the incident occurred in a five-star hotel.

Tehelka managing editor, Shoma Chaudhury has meanwhile, has accepted the victim's resignation. 

Sidene Wengerkut on the Talwars' conviction: You can question all the evidence and investigation. But there is really no limit to the extent of human brutality. That isn't a factor.

Anna MM Vetticad tweets: Sadly, as far as many people are concerned, a mother who doesn't weep on camera is guilty as charged.

Tarun Tejpal was never a saint nor is he a rapist, writes friend and former colleague Mahesh Peri. Read

Rajesh Talwar was also convicted under section 203 of IPC for filing wrong information with the Noida police station about the incident.

Vandana Talwar, Aarushi's aunt, hits out against the CBI. She said  the CBI was guilty of fabrication of evidence, manipulation and hiding facts that show the parents were innocent. She said the trial by the media continues as does the extreme prejudice against the couple, irrespective of the evidence that shows they are innocent.

She said it's a wonder that the family bothered to have the trial at all since they everyone had already decided they were guilty. She said this proves that a 100 lies do make up the truth.

Rebecca John, the Talwars' lawyer, says the verdict is a devastating loss. She said the innocence of her clients will be proved in a court of law. 

The arguments for quantum of punishment will begin at 2 pm tomorrow. The sentencing may or may not be announced tomorrow. No confirmations on that yet.

The Talwars were taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will be taken to Dasna jail.

The CBI lawyer says at no point in time during the last five-half-years has the CBI ever held the Talwars to be not guilty.

The Talwars seem to have been prepared for a guilty verdict. This is the statement they released almost immediately after they were convicted: "We are deeply disappointed, hurt and anguished for being convicted for a crime that we have not committed. We refuse to feel defeated and will continue to fight for justice."

Rebecca John, who is the Talwars' lawyer, says they will appeal the verdict in the Allahabad High Court. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar will be sent to the Dasna jail, which was where the couple had been sent last year. They were out on bail when the verdict was read out and were staying at a hotel near the CBI court in Ghaziabad.

The sentencing will be done tomorrow. For now, dentists Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar have been convicted for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and the domestic help, Hemraj.

They were convicted for murder under section 302 of the IPC (murder), criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

Both have been sent to judicial custody.  The Talwars broke down when the verdict was announced.

The Central Bureau of Investigation special court in Ghaziabad has pronounced the muc-awaited verdict in the sensational Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case.

Aarushi's parents, dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, has been found guilty of the murder of their daughter Aarushi, and domestic help, Hemraj.  

Aarushi Talwar and servant Hemraj were found murdered on May 15-16 2008 at their Jalvayu Vihar residence.

CBI judge Shyam Lal pronounced the couple guilty of the double murder. The Talwars have been charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

On Twitter: Let's hope that good sense prevails and the courts aren't swayed by public opinion.

Interestingly, the Rediff poll, on this page shows an overwhelming 57 per cent of respondents believe the parents killed Aarushi and Hemraj. 

Alright, verdict in the Aarushi-Hemraj murders expected now.  

"Outrageously, it is being suggested that Tarun is being 'framed' for political reasons -- presumably by the Right-wing Hindutva brigade. So now a young woman who he very recently saw fit to employ, is not just a loose woman, but an agent of the fascists?" ReadArundhati Roy's piece on Outlook.

Complete chaos outside the Ghaziabad court. A lawyer announces that the verdict which was to be announced at 2pm has now been postponed to 3 pm.
He says the Talwars were not in court in the morning. Now that the couple is in court, the lawyers have asked for more time. There are now approximately 15 people in the CBI court. The lawyer is believed to represent the Talwars' domestic helps. He also said the Talwars have not spoken a word in court.

Aarushi-Hemraj verdict at 3 pm. Anxious moments for the Talwars. 

Talwars' friends denied entry into the court room, as the judge is set to pronounce the verdict. 

So, last few minutes in court as the summations on both sides are being made at the Ghaziabad court. The verdict is expected any time now. 

The Talwars have entered the court room at the Ghaziabad court. Summations from both sides should begin now, followed by the verdict. 

The woman journalist's resignation letter says it is impossible to work with magazine.

The Goa police is scheduled to hold a presser at 5 pm.

The Tehelka journalist alleged on Saturday that a member of Tarun Tejpal's family had visited her mother's house on Friday night to ask her mother to protect him.

"On the night of November 22, 2013, a member of Mr Tejpal's immediate family came to my mother's house in New Delhi, asking my mother to protect Mr Tejpal,' the journalist said in a statement released to the media.

She said the visitor "demanded to know who I was seeking legal help from' and "what I 'wanted' as the result of my complaint'.

"This visit has placed tremendous emotional pressure on my family and I at an intensely traumatic time. I fear this may be the beginning of further intimidation and harassment," she said.

"I call upon all persons connected to Mr Tejpal and his associates to refrain from approaching me or my family members.'

Tehelka journalist and complaint in the sexual assault case against Tarun Tejpal has resigned. 

A special CBI court in Ghaziabad is scheduled to pronounce its verdict in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case at 2pm on Monday, nearly five-and-a-half years after the killings.

"All the lawyers had approached the court to know how long they will have to wait for the order. The court said the order will be announced post-lunch at 2pm," Naresh Yadav, counsel for Krishna, who was one of the suspects in the case, said.

Security has been beefed up outside the special CBI court premises. "Three DSPs, three station house officers, 90 constables and one platoon of PAC have been deployed outside the court," SP (City), Ghaziabad, Muniraj said.

Special Judge S Lal will give his verdict after a 15-month-long trial of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on charges of murder and destruction of evidence in the killing of their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi and servant Hemraj on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 at their Jalvayu Vihar residence in Noida. Both Rajesh and Nupur Talwar are out on bail.

In case you missed this story: Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury has acted in tandem with the magazine's Founder-Editor Tarun Tejpal by stating only his version in the sexual assault case against him, said a former employee of the company.

The former employee, Revati Laul, has been asked by the girl sexually assaulted by Tejpal to speak on her behalf. She said that the response of the Tehelka management has appalled her.  Read

The judgment in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case is expected at 2 pm. 

Around 26 per cent of polling has been recorded till noon in the 230 Assembly constituencies of Madhya Pradesh where elections are being held today. Polling was by and large peaceful barring a few stray incidents at some places, state Chief Electoral Officer Jaideep Govind said.

According to the Indian Express report, Shoma Chaudhury's name is apparently Suparna, probably the Bengali 'dak naam, bhalo naam' thing.

See the pie chart.

Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal today moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a sexual assault case lodged against him in Goa.

Justice G S Sistani, before whom the petition was mentioned by senior advocates K T S Tulsi and Geeta Luthra, will hear the matter tomorrow.

Tejpal, in his petition, filed through advocate Sandeep Kapur, has also sought transit bail to approach the appropriate court in Goa.

The alleged incident happened in a lift in a five-star hotel in Goa earlier this month.

The Goa police had on November 22 lodged an FIR against Tejpal under sections 376 (rape), 376 (2)(k) (rape by a person of a woman in his custody taking advantage of his official position) and 354 (outraging modesty) of IPC in connection with the incident. Conviction under section 376 of IPC entails a maximum of life term in jail.

Tehelka tried to conceal the gravity of its Editor-in-Chief's alleged sexual assault, which is rape under the amended IPC.

It tried to divert attention to an inquiry by an in-house committee mandated by a 2013 law meant to protect women in workplaces.

This Act deals with sexual harassment of a lesser degree, the offences under it are non-cognisable, and it is in limbo since the government has failed to draft the Rules. 

Read the edit on the Hindu.

Kiran Bedi tweets: Aarushi case with contradictions in forensic evidence,and inherent differences in police assessments,is a nightmare for any Judicial verdict!

Over three years ago, a well-known name in Indian publishing left his prestigious job in Canada and returned home. His company put out a release stating that he had been asked to leave because of grave charges of sexual harassment against him. The case made headlines in India. But then something interesting happened. Read the full column here.

And a snarky response to the Telegraph traveller: A letter of apology to traveller who expected cows at Metro stations. Read

Thirty years in the making, Delhi's Metro is a feat of engineering that whisks Stephen McClarence to the city's many tourist sites with ease. Read

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has lashed out at Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal over the charge of a girl's sexual abuse, alleging that the claim that the act was consensual could not be true.

"Someone told me that this man (Tarun Tejpal) is saying that it is consensual. I wonder what he must have done within four minutes and that too in a lift," Parrikar reacted last evening addressing a function in south Goa.

He said that Tejpal by recusing himself for six months has admitted to the act.

"By taking six month recuse from his position, this man has agreed to his felony. It is unfortunate that this man wants to take sanyas and come back in six months," the chief minister said.

The Goa police have already filed first information report against Tejpal for raping and outraging modesty of the girl.

A preliminary scan of CCTV footage outside the hotel elevator where Tarun Tejpal is alleged to have assaulted a subordinate has brought under stress the "recused' chief editor's claim of an "incredibly fleeting' consensual encounter.

"On November 7, the journalist and Tejpal are seen going into the elevator at 12.15am and coming out at 12.30am. The girl rushes out and then Tejpal follows her out,' said a source in Goa police who did not want to be named because the investigation is ongoing and he is not authorised to speak to the media.  Read more

Australia captain Michael Clarke has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the first cricket Test against England in Brisbane, which concluded on Sunday. Read

Madhya Pradesh goes to the polls today. About 18 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 11 am for the Assembly elections for 230 Assembly seats, the polling for which began this morning.

The polling in Naxal-affected Baihar, Paraswada and Lanjhi seat began from 7 am and will conclude at 3 pm, while in the remaining 227 seats it is being conducted as scheduled from 8 am to 5 pm.

Till 11 am, 18 per cent people have exercised their right to franchise for the Assembly elections, they said. 

THiNK Fest, which is at the centre of the controversy over the alleged rape attempt by the founder and editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal on a woman journalist, is organised by an entity called Thinkworks Pvt Ltd, which is entirely owned by Tejpal, his sister Neena Tejpal and the magazine's managing editor Shoma Chaudhary.  Read

Tejpal the editor is dead; Tejpal the human may be reborn. A former colleague writes.

In other news: Lalu Prasad Yadav has moved the Supreme Court for bail. The RJD chief was convicted by a special CBI court in Ranchi in the fodder scam corruption case that disqualifies him from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years.

What the CBI investigating officer said on the Aarushi-Hemraj double murders or the sequence of events, according to the CBI.

AGL Kaul, the officer who handled in the investigation in Delhi told the court trying Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, the sequence of events that led to the murders of the teenager and the family's servant, Hemraj.

Kaul's story went like this: Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were in their room, when, at around midnight Rajesh heard sounds.

He emerged, went first to check on Hemraj. The servant wasn't in his room, and the dentist picked up a golf club that was lying there. He then went to Aarushi's room, where he, according to Kaul found the two in a compromising position.

Enraged, the father rained blows on Hemraj, injuring him near fatally.

A killer blow accidentally landed on Aarushi. Nupur then joined her husband and they planned the next steps.

They decided to conceal Hemraj's body on the terrace and dragged it there together. There, they slit his throat. The couple then came down and slit their daughter's throat as well.

They cleaned her genitals and "dressed up" the scene.

When they were done, they moved left the house to dispose off their bloodied clothes, and the surgical instrument they used to cut their victim's throats.

They then went about cleaning the house.

At each stage, they tried to make the crime look like the work of intruders. Kaul's narration to the court puts an end to speculation about how the CBI believes the murders were committed.

-- as reported in the Mumbai Mirror.

"We had the perfect life, full of happiness and laughter', says Nupur, 47. "And then after Aarushi, it's like the thread of our lives has gone unravelling -- it's all just downhill from there. It seems surreal."  Read the interview with the Talwars. 

D-day for Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. The couple who are in Dasna jail, have reached court. 

Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury in her interview to CNN IBN's Rajdeep Sardesai had said that the media should not judge magazine publisher and editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal before all the evidence was in place. She gave the example of the Aarushi murder case where the media had played judge and jury proclaimed the parents guilty and cast aspersions on their morality.

This is Shoma's story on the Aarushi murder: Framed? The Aarushi-Hemraj Murder Case An Investigation

The case has been under intense media glare throughout and in August 2009 the Supreme Court restrained the media from sensational or scandalous reporting of the matter even as the Talwars accused the CBI of changing the course of investigation and purported leaks "damaging" their reputation.

The Uttar Pradesh police started its probe on the premise that Hemraj had killed Aarushi and escaped from the crime scene. After discovery of Hemraj's body on the terrace of Talwars' flat next day i.e. on May 16, 2008, under dramatic circumstances, the needle of suspicion came on Rajesh who was taken into custody by the UP police.

The sensational allegations made by the UP police that killer was none other than father of the teenager who acted in rage after finding Aarushi and Hemraj in "objectionable but  not compromising" position accentuated media attention.

Nearly five-and-a-half years after the sensational killings of teenager Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj, a special Central Bureau of Investigation court will on Monday pronounce its verdict whether her parents are guilty in the case which saw several twists and turns.

Special Judge S Lal, who is retiring soon, will give his decision after a 15-month-long trial of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, both out on bail at present, on charges of murder and destruction of evidence in the killing of their 14-year-old daughter and servant on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 at their Jalvayu Vihar residence in Noida.

The probe followed a sine curve with varied theories from the investigating agencies -- the Uttar Pradesh police and the CBI -- starting with father Rajesh Talwar being a suspect to the domestic servants of their friends and back to the dentist and his wife.

The Aarushi Talwar verdict expected today. The CBI lawyers have arrived at the Ghaziabad court 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will complete three years in office on Monday, marking the most tumultuous phase in the state's history on account of the Telangana statehood issue.    

WBPCC vice-president Ajoy Dey was today suspended for an indefinite period for making "objectionable" remarks against Congress President Sonia Gandhi.        

The Delhi BJP unit has approached the Election Commission against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he is enrolled as a voter in three different constituencies, two in Delhi and one in Uttar Pradesh.        

A 25-year-old French national was today rescued by police here after he was allegedly kidnapped by a trio.        

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Sai moved a petition before the Gujarat high court seeking quashing of the arrest warrant issued by a Surat court last month in connection with the sexual assault case lodged against him by two Surat-based sisters.        

The BJP today lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia's speech in Surat in which he allegedly used a derogatory word questioning the character of Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of snooping charges.        

Hundreds of people have been evacuated as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speed of above 110 kmph hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands tonight.