Mukhtar Ahmad from Srinagar reports: 22-year old Mohammad Iqbal Khan was gunned down by suspected militants inside his house in Kuwal Cherhar area of north Kashmir Sopore town late this evening

Eight persons including a pastor have deposed in the the second phase of the trial in triple murder case involving Australian Missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons which began at the Khurda District and Sessions court.

The next hearing was today posted for last week of October. The court has posted the next hearing date to October 28, 29 and 30, CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra told reporters.
A total of eight persons including Staines driver and pastor of Manoharpur Church have already deposed in the CBI designated court here during the two-day trial. All the witnesses informed the court that the miscreants had set fire to the vehicle where Staines and his two sons were sleeping on the January 22 night in 1999.

The defense lawyer Bana Bihari Mohanty, however, insisted upon deposition of Gladys Staines, the widow of the Australian Missionary. "We feel that Gladys Staines statement is vital in the case," Mohanty said during hearing.

A pub in the city of Hollywood near Los Angeles has displayed full size posters of Sikh Gurus in their bar area, outraging the community members and forcing the owners to issue an apology.

The Pikey Bar agreed to take down the pictures of Sikh Guru after community members lodged a protest with the pub owners.

"We have lodged a protest," Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director of the North American Punjabi Association told PTI.

The Supreme Court has dismissed BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's curative petition against its verdict declining to make Finance Minister P Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. 

BJP leader Arun Jaitley today slammed the government over the "leak" of an army inquiry report on an intelligence unit set up former Army Chief V K Singh and said such covert operations are not admitted or talked about in the larger public interest. 

Former Army Chief V K Singh's claim that money was paid to ministers in Jammu and Kashmir from secret funds set off a political storm today with ruling National Conference (NC) and ally Congress daring him to name the beneficiaries amid a demand for a CBI probe. 

Just in: A new coal policy has been approved, which means coal blocks can finally be auctioned. The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) which adopted and approved the policy can now auction at least four coal blocks with nearly 2,000 million tonnes of estimates reserves before December, a senior coal ministry official said.

Part of the rooftop parking in Nairobi's Westgate mall collapsed on Tuesday, a fireman and security sources said, a day after a fierce fire during the ongoing siege by Al-Qaida linked fighters. Read

A four-year-old British boy survived the Kenya shopping mall attack after telling an armed jihadist 'you're a bad man', according to the boy's uncle who has given an interview to a UK newspaper. Read

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday vacated the stay order issued by a trial court barring the Board of Control for Cricket in India from holding its Special General Meeting in Chennai tomorrow (September 25).

The BCCI moved the High Court on Monday to challenge the order that restrained the BCCI from conducting the SGM where the Board is expected to ban former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.

The trial court order was issued last Saturday after Lalit Modi challenged the validity of the SGM. On Tuesday, Justice VK Shali heard BCCI's plea.

The BCCI lawyers contended that the trial court had no jurisdiction over the matter as the SGM is scheduled to be held in Chennai. Modi's lawyers are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court on Wednesday. -- NDTV

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday took a jibe at Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh after he alleged that 10,000 burqas were purchased from Indore ahead of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Madhya Pradesh.

He said that the saffron outfit does not require distributing burqas or caps to ensure that people turn up for its rallies and programmes.

"We knew Digvijay Singhji as a leader of the Congress Party, but for the first time we are seeing him as a leader who is interested in the buying and selling of burqas.

"He keeps a track as to how many burqas and caps are purchased where.  So, I think he will not gain from this kind of a politics,' said Naqvi.

Cabinet clears the ordinance reversing the Supreme Court order on disqualifying convicted MPs and MLAs.

What this means is that the ordinance will allow convicted MPs/MLAs to continue in office, if the appeal against the conviction is admitted by a higher court within 90 days.

But the MPs/MLAs will not draw salaries and vote pending the appeal. Barring the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD), all other political parties are on board of the ordinance.

Just in: Mild tremors felt in Delhi, NCR and suburbs, apart from Rajasthan. The epicentre of the earthquake is in Balochistan, Pakistan, which has registered a 7.8 quake.

A day before Bharatiya Janata Partys prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Bhopal, Congress Party general secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday alleged that 10,000 burqas were purchased in Indore to feign the support of the Muslim minority towards the opposition party at the rally.

In the entire country, it is being built up that the Bharatiya Janata Party has the support of the Muslim minority. Now, as proof, I have with me a bill which shows that 10,000 burqas have been bought from Indore. The same number of topis could not be found here, but were ordered from Lucknow. I will put that bill before you, as well, Singh said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the Karyakarta Mahakumbh in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on September 25 as part of his partys election campaign in the lead-up to the 2014 general elections.

On Sunday, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, once again, hit out at Modi, and said the facts that he presented at speech to the Indian Diaspora in America indicated that it was ''feku'' at his best.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will join Yash Chopra's heroines Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Katrina Kaif on the ramp in a special tribute to the late filmmaker.

SRK is the only male actor who will walk the ramp with other actresses on Chopra's 81st birthday on September 27.

The function is being organised by Chopra's wife Pamela. Shah Rukh, who teamed up with Chopra on his last four films 'Darr', 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Veer-Zara' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', had interviewed the director last year on his 80th birthday.

"Pamelaji requested Shah Rukh to be part of this tribute to Yashji and he happily agreed to walk with all the divas as part of the grand finale," Rafiq Gangjee, the official spokesperson of Yash Raj Films said.

Pamela plans to celebrate Chopra's birthday in grand manner every year. The veteran filmmaker died last year on October 21.

The government will push for passage of a long-pending bill to provide statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the winter session of Parliament.

"We will bring the National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010 in Parliament during the forthcoming winter session for discussion and passage," Planning Minister Rajeev Shukla told PTI.

The UIDAI, which issues 12-digit Aadhaar numbers to residents, currently operates through an executive order.

The TDP and the Congress are nervously watching the political outcome of Jagan Mohan Reddy's release, while the TRS is probably celebrating. Vicky Nanjappa tells us why. Read

Rediff.com's Mohammed Siddique reporting from outside the Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad says slogans of 'Jai Jagan' pierced the the air as YSR Congress party leader Jaganmohan Reddy walked to freedom after 16 months in jail.

Reddy left the jail for his home 'Lotus Pond' at Jubilee Hills in a bullet proof Scorpio, even as the police found it difficult to keep thousands of supporters at bay.

The police had ensured adequate security arrangements as emotions among supporters were at its peak. YSR Cong MLAs were among those who waited outside the jail for several hours.

Though the CBI court had granted him bail yesterday, completion of formalities delayed his release till this afternoon.

Jagan's cousins -- Avinash Reddy and Yeshwant Reddy -- furnished the two securities of Rs 2 lakh each in the CBI court this morning.

After the court accepted them, Jagan's lawyer Ashok Reddy and an employee of the court took the orders of Jagan's release to Chanchalguda jail after lunch.

YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy walks out of the Chenchalguda Central prison in Hyderabad. Hundreds of supporters cheered at their first glimpse of their leader.

Scores of Jagan supporters and YSRC workers raised slogans and danced in front of the jail, as the 40-year-old leader walked out after nearly 16 months, on submission of necessary documents in the special CBI court.

The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a special investigation cell (SIC) to probe the riots in Muzaffarnagar earlier this month, which claimed 49 lives.

Meanwhile, BSP MLA Noor Salem Rana gets bail in Muzaffarnagar riots case. 

Shakespeare's Romeo had it that "Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books, But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.'

One university is hoping to upturn this aphorism by making love a part of its curriculum for the first time.

Kolkata's highly-regarded Presidency University will offer a course on the nuances of love and its interplay with society and culture. Read

Within months of entering into a three-way joint venture with Air Asia and Telestra Tradeplace Pvt. Ltd. to start a low-cost domestic airline, the Tata group has now joined hands with Singapore Airlines to launch a full-service airline. Read

PS. A must-read for Mr Mallya

BJP MLA Sangeet Som, who was arrested for alleged involvement in fake video uploading case and making provocative speeches, was today booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

Som, accused of uploading a fake video that played a role in provoking communal tension in Muzaffarnagar and making inflammatory speeches, was arrested in Meerut on September 21.

Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, which has been grounded for almost a year for want of cash, is in talks with a foreign investor for a potential stake sale, Chairman Vijay Mallya said on Tuesday, without naming any investor.

"I expect this to take some form or shape in the next 90 days. That is my own estimate," Mallya told reporters after the company's annual shareholders meeting. -- Reuters.

A 14-year-old girl, who wanted to file a rape complaint, was allegedly forced to strip and humiliated by a senior police officer in Kushinagar in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Read

Suman Tutti, 11, a frail, shy girl from Bhoot village, around 35 kilometers, or 21 miles from Ranchi, the capital of the eastern state of Jharkhand, is one of the 100,000 girls who are trafficked from the state every year, according to the state government statistics. Read

All Saints Church was designed to look like a mosque -- to symbolize unity amidst a community of many religions. Completed in 1883, it was built within the old walled city of Peshawar during a century of relative peace and harmony. Read

Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters that he has not received any communication from the Jammu and Kashmir government or anyone else demanding a CBI inquiry into VK Singh's statement on Army payments.

Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said the V K Singh issue was a matter of national security and it could not be discussed in public.

"Anyone who has served in the Army and that too in such a top post should not be talking like this. There should be restraint," he said.

Asked whether any inquiry will be ordered by the Home Ministry, RPN Singh said the Army and the Ministry of Defence will look into it.

In other news: India have run a large trade deficit of $41 billion with China and of $29 billion with Switzerland. Read

Former Chief of the Army Staff General VK Singh has filed an RTI application seeking the Board of Officers Report on the activities of the 'shadowy' Technical Support Divison (TSD) of the Military Intelligence. Read

Former Army chief General VK Singh says that the allegation that he paid bribes to ministers in Jammu and Kashmir is wrong. "Yes, money was paid to the ministers not for personal use, but for social work and to take stone throwers off the streets. The Rs 1.19 crore was used to maintain peace in the state."

He says he has not made up his mind about joining politics.

The AAP fervour has caught on with 45,000 donors already, be they soldiers from Siachen or businessmen in America. When activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal forayed into the political arena last November, he knew money would be needed to fight the political battles that lay ahead. Read more.

The number of Indians killed in the Westgate mall terror attack in Kenya has risen to three, with one more body identified as that of an Indian national, even as the total death toll touched 62.

The third Indian has been identified as Sudharshan B Nagaraj from Bangalore, the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi today.

Earlier, two Indians, including an 8-year-old boy, were declared dead in the attack on Westgate, an upmarket shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which started on Saturday.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has downloaded negative reports on 200 IAS and 150 IPS officers and directed Cabinet Secretariat and Department  of Personnel to examine the charges before they are promoted to senior level.

But insiders believe this is unwarranted and would derail the process of justice if these officers are due for promotions to
to either Additional Secretaries or as Secretaries to Government of India.

It is believed that CVC Pradeep Kumar is copying the style of his predecessor Nagarajan Vittal by using the internet to malign these service officers.

Union Minister Jairam Ramesh has protested against the directions of the CVC's 'Google order' and has taken up the issue on behalf of the All India Service Officers with the PMO and the DOPT.

Cabinet Secretary  Ajit Seth has also convened a meeting of Secretaries to the Government of India to consider and reject the CVC  Google Order.

But for Jairam Ramesh's intervention, there would have been an outcry by 200 IAS officers.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be in Trichy on Thursday in what is perceived as a shout-out to to Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha to join hands and overthrow UPA2 at the Centre.

Modi's team has been working overtime to make sure he is a hit in Chennai. What remains to be seen is whether Modi will hit out at P Chidambram for his comment -- fake encounter with facts? If he does, it will certainly please the ADMK and Jaya.

Modi has also been going over his three-minute speech in Tamil making sure the pronunciation passes muster. The speech will be telecast live in 85 Tamil TV networks registered in 18 districts of the state. 

Let's say you're getting married when you spot Usain Bolt, one of the world's coolest athletes, just strolling along and minding his own business. What do you do? Choose from the options here.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today asked former Army chief V K Singh to name Jammu and Kashmir politicians who were allegedly paid money by the Army for "stability", saying if details are given the government was ready to probe.

"V K Singh should name politicians. He should reveal the names (of those to whom money was allegedly paid). If details are given, we can investigate," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.

The Home Minister's remarks came in the wake of the retired general's statement that that "certain ministers" in the state are given money by the Army for "stability" and that this has been going on since Independence.

For India and Indonesia, Quality Growth Requires Quality Governance. Read

Perspectives: Palestinian Women Embrace Yoga for Peace. Read

An Indian man was shot when he failed to answer a question on Islam asked by Somalian militants who were holding hostages after killing 68 people at an upmarket mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Read

While on terror attacks, US President Barack Obama reached out to the country of his paternal ancestors as Kenya battled a savage terrorist attack for which strikes on long-suffering India appears to have provided the template. Read

   The deposition of Indian witnesses in the 26/11 terror attack case began here today before an eight-member Pakistani Judicial Commission amid tight security arrangements.

The Commission members arrived at 11 am at a magistrate court in Mumbai to cross-examine witnesses of the Mumbai attack, in connection with prosecution of seven suspects held in Pakistan for their alleged role in the crime.

Police are keeping strict vigil in and around the court. A thick security blanket is in place at the premises. Also, a dog squad has been pressed into service, police sources said.

The proceedings began with Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, representing the Government of India, introducing the members of the Commission to the court while emphasising on the need of evidence from Indian witnesses against the attack conspirators, whose trial is pending in Pakistan.

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today demanded a CBI probe into the claim of former Army chief V K Singh that "certain ministers" in Jammu and Kashmir are given money by the Army for "stability" and that this has been going on since Independence.

"I think it's a very, very terrible statement that he has made. It must be investigated. The Army has nothing to do with funding of political parties.

"They should never do this. The Army should be kept apolitical," the Union Minister said. adding, "And if he has done that, he has done something extremely wrong."

Under attack over reports that attempts were made to topple the Jammu and Kashmir government during his tenure as Army chief, Gen (retd) Singh has claimed that accusations against him were false and motivated.

Read the TOI report: Paying ministers nothing new in J&K, former Army chief Gen VK Singh says

Lax monitoring, poor public engagement and inadequate training to vaccinators have dealt a serious blow to the crucial pentavalent immunisation programme. Read

Equating juveniles with adult criminals is neither scientifically correct nor normatively defensible, writes the Hindu. Read

US President Barack Obama, arguably the world's most powerful man, is scared of his wife Michelle and has stopped smoking out of fear of the First Lady.

Following a Civil Society Roundtable at the opening day of the UN General Assembly meeting yesterday, an open mic caught the President questioning UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai about his smoking habit, NBC News reported. "I hope you quit smoking," Obama said as the two greeted each other after the event.

Kiai said he still enjoyed a smoke from time-to-time, and asked Obama if he had been able to kick the habit. "I haven't had a cigarette in six years... that's because I'm scared of my wife," Obama told him with a grin.

Almost six months after India strengthened its law against sex-crimes -- a reaction to the gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi last year -- many police officers remain ignorant about the changes, according to an India Real Time survey.

The informal poll, of 100 male and female police officers in Delhi, wasn't scientific.

But its findings raise questions about the level of awareness of new laws aimed at protecting women among those who are charged with enforcing them. Read

In other news: Pankaj Sharma has the air of a hunted man. In Hauz Khas Village, one of Delhi's trendiest night spots, the 38-year-old businessman-turned-environmental activist is persona non grata after his actions led to the closure of dozens of restaurants here at the weekend. Read

YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy is about to walk out of the Chenchalguda Central prison in Hyderabad.

For all Raghuram Rajan fans... The economist who predicted the financial crisis just sounded another alarm -- it would be wise to listen this time. Read 

A man was shot at in Uttar Pradesh's Etah town for not putting onions in an omelette, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Aliganj area in Etah, 265 kilometres from Lucknow.

Pujari, who the police described as a criminal, ordered an omelette for four of his friends.

When they found there were no onions in it, the group became furious.

Egg vendor Deepu Kashyap told them he could not afford to buy onions, which have become expensive over the past few weeks.

Pujari then whipped out a pistol and shot at the vendor. The victim was rushed to a medical facility. -- NDTV

Kenyan special forces are still battling "one or two" Islamist militants holed up inside Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, security sources involved in the operation said today.

The sources said the militants were located and isolated in or around a casino located on one of the upper floors of the complex.

Sporadic gunfire and the sound of blasts could be heard coming from inside the mall at dawn, witnesses said.

The fresh fighting came some hours after the Kenyan government had declared it was in "full control" of the sprawling mall and as the siege went into its fourth day.

Gearing up security arrangements in the wake of the riots in Muzaffarnagar, district authorities have set up 14 police outposts in the worst affected areas, even as they said the toll in the violence has climbed to 49.

Additional District Magistrate Inder Mani Tripathi said 49 persons lost their lives, 12 persons were reported missing and more than eight religious places were damaged in the communal violence in the district.

The district authorities have decided to set up at least 33 more police outposts in areas of the district affected by the communal violence.

Sharad Pawar, Union minister for Food and Agriculture, hopes for a record foodgrain production in 2013-14 on good monsoon; pitches for GM crops.

Agriculture Commissioner J S Sandhu says, rice production projected to drop to 92.32 million tonnes this year.
 

The Supreme Court today said it would hear on Friday the plea of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking to restrain N Srinivasan from contesting for the post of BCCI President in the Annual General Meeting of the Board scheduled on September 29 in Chennai.

CAB, in its application, has sought "interim injunction retraining respondent number 2 (Srinivasan) from contesting for the post of President of respondent number 1 (BCCI) in the Annual General Meeting to be held on September 29 at Chennai."

Supporters of YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, along with scores of party workers, today assembled outside the Chenchalguda Central prison in Hyderabad, waiting for their leader's release after he was granted bail in the alleged quid pro quo investments case.

Scores of Jagan supporters and YSRC workers raised slogans and danced in front of the jail, from where the 40-year-old leader is likely to walk out after nearly 16 months, on submission of necessary documents in the special CBI court.

V K Singh should name politicians. If details are given, we can probe, says Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the former Army chief's claim that money was paid to certain J-K ministers.

Just in: The Delhi High Court will hear on a day-to-day basis from tomorrow, the death penalty reference in the December 16 gang rape and murder case.

The confirmation of the death penalty awarded by it to four men convicted in the December 16 gang-rape case is expected soon. The single-member bench of the High Court led by Justice Reva Khetrapa had on Monday issued production warrants against the four convicts and directed the authorities to produce them before it today.

On September 13, while awarding capital punishment to Mukesh (26), Akshay Thakur (28), Pawan Gupta (19) and Vinay Sharma (20), Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna had referred the case to the high court for confirmation of the sentence. The trial court has to refer each death penalty case to the high court for confirmation of the punishment. -- Zee News

Several gunmen remain inside a besieged mall in Nairobi, Kenya, two senior officials said, as a deadly standoff between Kenyan forces and terrorists stretches into a fourth day.

 

Kenya's Interior Ministry tweeted late Monday that authorities were in control of the Westgate Shopping Mall -- the latest in a series of social media posts from officials reassuring a nervous public that there was little chance of escape for any surviving Al-Shabaab gunmen who had terrorized the mall, killing at least 62 people.

 

"Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them," Kenyan police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter. But even as police stressed on Twitter that they were in charge of the situation, two senior Kenyan officials told CNN that gunmen -- including snipers -- were still inside the four-story mall.

 

Read the full report on CNN

It has been three months since floods ravaged Uttarakhand and CNN-IBN has now learned that compensation cheques have been dishonoured. More than a dozen compensation cheques given to victims of the Uttarakhand tragedy have bounced.

 

While the state government claims it has enough funds, the bank account from which cheques have been issued reportedly has zero balance. "After the incident, the government gave me some relief through this money. But when I went to deposit the cheque they said the bank has no money and returned it," said a flood victim Radha Niwasi.

 

Read the CNN IBN exclusive

Smartphone maker BlackBerry(BB.TO) has agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal led by its biggest shareholder, allowing the on-the-go email pioneer to regroup away from public scrutiny after years of falling fortunes and slumping market share.

 

The $9 a share tentative offer, from a consortium led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd(FFH.TO), will set a floor for any counteroffers that might emerge for Blackberry, which has been on the block since August.

 

As an investor, Fairfax Chief Executive Prem Watsa is often described as the Canadian Warren Buffett because he also takes the long view. Blackberry shares peaked above $148 in June 2008 when the company's devices were still the top choice for bankers, politicians and lawyers.

 

Read the full report on Reuters

Kenya's interior ministry has announced that troops are "in control" of the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, with all the hostages believed to have been freed after a deadly siege that killed at least 62 people.

 

A government spokesman told AFP news agency that the three-day-long siege was close to being declared over. He said special forces combing the building were no longer encountering any resistance.

"Our special forces are inside the building checking the rooms. We think that everyone, the hostages, have been evacuated, but we don't want to take any chances," Manoah Esipisu, a government spokesman, said. "We're in control of Westgate," the interior ministry said in a message on Twitter.  

 

Read more on Al Jazeera

Jagan is out on bail and itching for revenge! 

Singh, Sharif to meet in New York on September 29

Kenya: Indian shot for failing to answer query on Islam

Delhi Police launches probe into hoax caller imitating Sonia