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Mon, 28 April 2014
Manmohan a caged PM, charges Shivraj
Timeline Refresh
23:32 Scandal-hit Berlusconi insists 'friend of Jews, Germans'
Italy's Silvio Berlusconi insisted he is a friend of Jewish people and Germany today in a bid to quell international outrage sparked by his controversial remarks about the Holocaust.
The former premier said he was "a historic friend of the Jewish people and the state of Israel" and it was "surreal to attribute to me anti-German sentiment or a presumed hostility towards the German people, to whom I am a friend."
22:43 Manmohan a caged PM, charges Shivraj
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan today alleged that Manmohan Singh was a "caged Prime Minister", who remained under control of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi. "Manmohan Singh is a caged Prime Minister. He used to get all the orders from 10 Janpath (Sonia's residence) and he remained under control of Sonia and Rahul," Chauhan alleged while addressing an election rally in favour of Uma Bharti.
He alleged SP and BSP had made Uttar Pradesh a backward state, which is facing power crisis, and claimed in BJP-ruled MP even villages were getting 24 hours' power supply.
Listing achievements of his government, Chauhan said that development in MP began under the leadership of Uma Bharti. He said that development would take place in the entire country when BJP forms the government at the Centre.
20:55 Khanduri, Rawat served EC notices
BJP candidate for Pauri Lok Sabha seat, B C Khanduri, and his Congress rival in the election, Harak Singh Rawat, were served notices by the Election Commission for alleged violation of the model code of conduct.
Pauri Returning officer Chandresh Kumar served the notices to the two leaders yesterday besides four others after he found some "discrepancies" in the statements of accounts submitted by them to the Commission, in charge of the accounts team B P Kandpal said.
Their statements of accounts do not match the calculations of the Commission, he said.
Others served notices by the commission are CPM's Narendra Singh Negi, BSP's Dhir Singh Bisht, CPI(ML)'s Indresh Maikhuri and Independent Anoop Singh Negi, Kandpal said.
20:13 Congress should come clean on Vadra: Lekhi
BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi today asked Congress to come clean on its "son-in-law model" of development first and defended Narendra Modi saying land was sold not to one, but to a couple of other business houses to set up an SEZ.
"Time and again, Congress leaders rake up the issue of land allocation to a business house and call it 'toffee model'. I am here to clarify that SEZ policy was implemented by the Centre and not the state," Lekhi while addressing a press conference said here.
She claimed that the land, which was not suitable for farming due to high salinity, was sold to not one, but to a couple of other business houses to set up an SEZ, while referring to land given to the Adanis and others near Mundra in Kutch.
"Time and again, Congress leaders rake up the issue of land allocation to a business house and call it 'toffee model'. I am here to clarify that SEZ policy was implemented by the Centre and not the state," Lekhi while addressing a press conference said here.
She claimed that the land, which was not suitable for farming due to high salinity, was sold to not one, but to a couple of other business houses to set up an SEZ, while referring to land given to the Adanis and others near Mundra in Kutch.
19:39 Records of poll code violation cases gutted in 2012 Mantralaya fire
All records pertaining to cases of poll code violation registered against candidates in the last three Lok Sabha elections and action taken against them by the state election commission got destroyed in a 2012 fire mishap at Mantralaya, an RTI query has revealed.
"Public Information Officer Shirish Mohod in the office of the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has informed us that all files and records pertaining to our query got destroyed in the massive fire incident at Mantralaya on June 21, 2012.
"Hence he CEO's office has no records to provide information to our queries," said activist Anil Galgali who had sought the information through a query on April 7, 2014.
Galgali had also sought to know the exact number of MPs disqualified for violating the poll code and also details of re-polls conducted on seats represented by them.
"Public Information Officer Shirish Mohod in the office of the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has informed us that all files and records pertaining to our query got destroyed in the massive fire incident at Mantralaya on June 21, 2012.
"Hence he CEO's office has no records to provide information to our queries," said activist Anil Galgali who had sought the information through a query on April 7, 2014.
Galgali had also sought to know the exact number of MPs disqualified for violating the poll code and also details of re-polls conducted on seats represented by them.
18:47 Microsoft warns of security flaw in Internet Explorer
Microsoft has warned users of a security flaw in its Internet Explorer browser that allows hackers on the same network as much access as a legitimate user.
Using the vulnerability, an attacker could take complete control of the system and then install programmes, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights.
"Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11. The vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability," it said in a blogpost.
The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated, it added.
Using the vulnerability, an attacker could take complete control of the system and then install programmes, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights.
"Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11. The vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability," it said in a blogpost.
The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated, it added.
18:22 Omar turns the tables on Modi, says exodus was under BJP man
In a scathing rebuttal of Narendra Modi's charge, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the exodus of Pandits from Kashmir took place under Jagmohan, who was appointed governor by the central government which was supported by BJP.
He said Modi's statement on the issue was an insult to Kashmiri people. "When Kashmiri Pandits left the Valley, Jagmohan, who has not parted ways with the BJP yet, as far as I know, was ruling the state (as the governor). Farooq Sahib was not in power."
"Jagmohan was appointed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (now PDP patron), who was the home minister in V P Singh cabinet. V P Singh was heading the government with BJP support.... I hope they (BJP leaders) remember this," he told reporters.
He said Modi's statement on the issue was an insult to Kashmiri people. "When Kashmiri Pandits left the Valley, Jagmohan, who has not parted ways with the BJP yet, as far as I know, was ruling the state (as the governor). Farooq Sahib was not in power."
"Jagmohan was appointed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (now PDP patron), who was the home minister in V P Singh cabinet. V P Singh was heading the government with BJP support.... I hope they (BJP leaders) remember this," he told reporters.
17:18 After Vadra attack, Congress links Modi to hawala operator
NDTV reports: A day after the BJP released a video to target Robert Vadra, the Congress has distributed photographs and a CD that it alleges show the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi with a man that it claims is a "hawala operator."
The Congress released several photographs that show a man called Afroze Patta among a group of people with Modi and other BJP leaders.
Patta, Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, was raided by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a multi-crore hawala or money laundering case in Surat, Gujarat.
The Congress released several photographs that show a man called Afroze Patta among a group of people with Modi and other BJP leaders.
Patta, Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, was raided by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a multi-crore hawala or money laundering case in Surat, Gujarat.
16:20 EU bans Indian Alphonso mangoes, veggies from May 1
The 28-member European Union has temporarily banned the import of Alphonso mangoes, the king of fruits, and four vegetables from India from May 1, sparking protests from the Indian community, lawmakers and traders.
The recent decision by the grouping's Standing Committee on Plant Health came after 207 consignments of fruits and vegetables from India imported into the EU in 2013 were found to be contaminated by pests such as fruit flies and other quarantine pests.
The temporary ban, proposed by the European Commission, includes mangoes, eggplant, the taro plant, bitter gourd and snake gourd, and prohibits the import to tackle the "significant shortcomings in the phytosanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU".
Though the prohibited commodities represent less than 5 per cent of the total fresh fruits and vegetables imported into the EU from India, the potential introduction of new pests could pose a threat to EU agriculture and production, the committee noted.
UK's Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) that is backing the ban said it was necessary due to pests which could threaten the country's 321 million pound salad crop industry of tomato and cucumber.
15:53 UP: Doon Express derails, 4 injured
CNN-IBN reports: Four people were injured when eight bogies of a passenger train derailed near Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh on Monday afternoon.
According to sources, the number of the injured is going to rise.
The eight coaches of the Howrah-Dehradun Doon Express included six sleeper coaches and two general bogies. The incident happened around 2.42 pm.
Sources say the DRM, Lucknow has been sent to the spot. The incident has affected traffic on the rail route.
15:15 Army evacuates 2000 stranded tourists
Around 2,000 tourists stranded at Thegu in East Sikkim due to sudden snowfall were rescued and evacuated by the Army personnel of Black Cat Division, Army said today.
250 tourist vehicles with around 2,000 tourists were stranded at Thegu, below Nathu La, due to unexpected and sudden snowfall on Saturday, an Army press release said.
Troops stationed nearby, quickly rose to the occasion and helped to push the tourist vehicles across the steep slopes and rescued the tourists.
The weather deteriorated further in the evening and despite heavy snowfall and hailstorm, the troops cleared all the tourist vehicles by 7 PM on Saturday, the release said, adding all the tourists safely returned to Gangtok by nightfall.
15:02 Not a BJP supporter but hope they come to power: Andre Beteille
Observing that a "long stint in the government for a single party is not good for democracy", renowned sociologist Andre Beteille Thursday hoped the Bharatiya Janata Party would come to power at the centre.
"I am not a BJP supporter, but feel that they should come to power this time," Beteille told media persons on the sidelines of a book launch here as he went on to assert that the public perception of BJP being communal has changed.
14:56 Modi can remove India's hatashaa aur nirashaa: Swaraj
Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today lauded the leadership quality of Narendra Modi and said only her party could pull out the country from 'hatashaa aur Nirashaa' due to the "misrule of Congress".
"We are proud that we declared Narendra Modi as BJP prime ministerial candidate. He has tremendous leadership quality," Swaraj said addressing an election rally at Benipatti in Madhubani district in favour of party candidate Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav.
"Today the country is passing through a bad patch of 'hatashaa aur nirashaaa' (despondency) due to the 10 year rule of Congress-led UPA. Only BJP whose chief ministers have given good governance and is led by an able Narendra Modi can pull out the country from this sorry condition," she said in her maiden election rally in Bihar during the ongoing general elections.
Listing the "achievements" of Congress during their 10-year-old rule, she mentioned price rise, rampant corruption, condition of farmers, bending before Pakistan and trade recession among others.
Showering praise on Yadav, Swaraj described him as her "sankat mochak" (one who pulls out of problem).
14:36 Egypt court sentences Brotherhood chief, 682 others to death
An Egyptian court today sentenced Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie and his 682 supporters to death, a move that could raise tension in the country which has been gripped by turmoil since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi last year.
The convicts were accused of involvement in killings and attempted murder of policemen in the southern Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of ousted Islamist president Morsi's supporters in clashes in Cairo.
Of the 683 accused sentenced today, about 50 are in custody while the rest are either out on bail or on the run.
Several woman relatives of the accused waiting outside the courtroom fainted on hearing news of the death penalty.
In a separate case, the same court today reversed 492 death sentences out of 529 it passed last month, commuting most of the death penalty to life in prison.
70-year-old Mohammed Badie, a white-bearded professor, became supreme guide of the Brotherhood in 2010.
He had condemned the removal of president Morsi by the Egyptian military.
Morsi belongs to the Brotherhood, an Islamist movement which swept all elections in Egypt following the fall of military dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Morsi's term was marked with political uncertainty and violence in a deeply polarised country that ultimately led to his ouster by the powerful military.
14:19 Bihar minister slaps Ramdev with case
M I Khan reports from Patna: A Bihar minister on Monday filed a case against yoga guru Baba Ramdev for his remarks on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.
"I have filed a case in the court against Ramdev for insulting and humiliating Dalits," Food and Civil Supply Minister Shyam Razak told reporters.
He said he has demanded jail term for the yoga guru.
"The right place for Ramdev is in jail. He has hurt the Dalits by saying that Rahul Gandhi goes to Dalits' houses to celebrate honeymoon," the minister said.
The Janata Dal-United leader demanded the central government should lodge a case against Ramdev under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
13:59 No relief for Giriraj Singh; Bokaro court rejects anticipatory bail
A court in Bokaro, Jharkhand on Monday rejected anticipatory bail to BJP leader Giriraj Singh in a case related to making hate speeches during election campaigning.
Last week, the Patna Civil Court had granted anticipatory bail to the BJP leader over his remark that critics of BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi will be sent to Pakistan.
However, Singh has not received any relief from the court in Jharkhand's Bokaro.
Two separate FIRs were lodged against him in Jharkhand one in Bokaro and another in Deogarh - for making an inflammatory speech during the campaigning for the General Election.
Giriraj Singh is BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Nawada constituency
13:43 Salman's 2002 hit-and-run case retrial begins
Eleven years after Bollywood actor Salman Khan allegedly rammed his car into a shop killing one person and injuring four, the re-trial in this case began today with a witness deposing before a sessions court.
Samba Gowda, who was the first witness to depose in the court, said he had drawn panchnama of the articles seized by police on the day of the incident on September 28, 2002.
The witness told prosecutor Jagannath Kenjalkar that it was a big car involved in the accident and said police had reached the spot along with him. He further said the car had rammed into a laundry and its bumper had hit the shutter of the shop.
The witness said he saw glass pieces, number plate of the car and bumper parts lying on the spot. These articles were seized by police and a panchnama was drawn by him.
"I can identify the articles collected by police from the place of accident," said Gowda, who hails from Karnataka.
Two more witnesses were discharged as they had admitted the panchnamas drawn by them.
Although the prosecution has submitted a list of 64 witnesses, it would not examine all of them, according to the public prosecutor.
Salman is facing the charge of running over his Toyota Land Cruiser on a group of persons sleeping on a footpath outside a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one and injuring four others.
13:41 Amit Shah rejects Priyanka's attack on Modi on Snoopgate
Brushing aside Priyanka Gandhi's attack on Narendra Modi on the 'Snoopgate' controversy, his close aide Amit Shah has said a judicial commission was investigating the case and people should wait for its report.
Shah also rejected Congress' demand for a detailed probe into the controversy saying no fresh inquiry committee was necessary as a judicial probe was already on.
"It does not matter what Priyanka Gandhi says. There is a probe panel which is investigating into it. Wait for the report of the panel," Shah told PTI.
Last week, Priyanka, while campaigning in Rae Bareli, had targeted Modi by raising the Snoopgate issue, saying, "If you want to empower women, then why listen to their private conversations.
"If there are such political leaders who indulge in wrong acts against women, they should be thrown out of parties," she had said.
13:31 Pakistan violates ceasefire; heavy shelling at LoC in Poonch
Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar: The Pakistan Army on Monday violated the Line of Control ceasefire once again.
The violation took place in Poonch district, which had been targetted by Pakistani soldiers few days ago.
The violation took place in Poonch district, which had been targetted by Pakistani soldiers few days ago.
A defence spokesman said, "The Pakistan army started unprovoked firing in BG sector using small arms and automatics. Our troops are retaliating using similar calibre weapons. No damage and casualties have been reoported on our side."
12:59 5 Navy cadets arrested for molesting, chasing woman in Mumbai
Zee News reports: Five Navy cadets were arrested in Mumbai on Saturday night after they allegedly molested a woman in a pub and then chased her auto.
The incident took place when the 25-year-old housewife went to a pub along with her husband and a friend. The couple was dancing when the cadets allegedly misbehaved with her.
The victim's husband then informed the pub authorities who asked the cadets to leave after a warning, as per news reports.
However, the cadets reportedly waited for the victim and her husband to leave the pub and then chased their auto and tried to stop it too.
The victim then called the police who reached the spot and arrested the five accused.
The five accused are reportedly employed as the class IV officers in the Navy.
12:16 After 'butcher' remark, Mamata's party says it's Modi who must apologise
A day after it declared Narendra Modi "the butcher of Gujarat," Mamata Banerjee's party said that it is Modi who needs to apologise.
"He has said that a painting by Mamata Banerjee sold for 1.86 crore. He has to apologise for that," said Mukul Roy, a top leader of the Trinamool Congress.
"He (Modi) violated all decency while speaking at a rally," Roy added.
11:57 Salman's 2002 hit-and-run case retrial today
The re-trial of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's infamous 2002 hit-and-run case is likely to be heard today by the sessions court in Mumbai.
The case was deferred by the court earlier this month till April 28, as the prosecution sought time to produce witnesses in view of police deployment on election duty.
Sessions Judge D W Deshpande had asked the prosecution to produce on April 28 the first witness who was injured in the mishap in which the actor was involved, followed by eye witnesses in May.
On March 26, three witnesses failed to turn up as they were either not available or untraceable making this the second occasion when the fresh trial has not begun in the case.
The superstar is facing the charges of running over his Toyota Land Cruiser on people sleeping on a footpath outside a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one and injuring four others.
11:44 RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh Chahal sacked for beating girlfriend
Indian-origin internet advertising mogul Gurbaksh Chahal, who escaped jail despite beating his girlfriend 117 times, has been fired from his post of CEO and chairman by his company.
The board of directors at RadiumOne, a Silicon Valley company that focusses on real-time advertising across web, mobile and Facebook, met over the weekend and "voted to terminate the employment of Gurbaksh Chahal as CEO and Chairman of the company," the company said in a statement.
Last week, Chahal, 31, dodged the 45 felony charges and instead pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour courts - one for domestic violence battery and one for battery.
He was sentenced to three years of probation, 52 weeks of participation in a domestic violence program and 25 hours of community service but got no jail time.
Chahal has termed the allegations against him as "grossly exaggerated" and said he is being attacked because of his ethnicity.
11:21 SC stays Red Fort attack convict's death sentence
JUST IN: The Supreme Court has stayed the execution of death sentence of Mohammed Arif, convicted in the 2000 Red Fort attack case.
Arif, who was a member of the banned Laskar-e-Tayiba, was sentenced to death for killing three security personnel on the night of 22 December 2000.
He was awarded the death sentence by the trial court in November 2005, which was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in 2007.
Arif challenged this order in the Supreme Court, which in October 2011, upheld the high court decision.
11:06 Torrid tornadoes tear through US states, 10 killed in Arkansas, Oklahoma
Mighty storms targeted many southern and Central US states, triggering tornadoes that killed ten people in Arkansas and Oklahoma, reports said Monday.
Out of ten victims, eight were killed when a tornado hit the northern suburbs of Little Rock in Arkansas town, while two were said to have been dead in Oklahoma. Other reports said only was confirmed killed in Oklahoma.
Other towns like Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouriwere also struck by the tornadoes that uprooted trees, flipped cars and caused severe damage.
The Arkansas tornado touched down about 10 miles west of Little Rock at around 7 p.m. and moved northeastward for at least 30 miles, the National Weather Service reported.
It missed the state capital but passed through or near several of its suburbs, causing widespread damage in the communities of Mayflower and Vilonia.
The tornado, which grew to be a half-mile wide, turned buildings into rubble and stripped the leaves and smaller branches off of trees.
It was one of several tornadoes that touched down Sunday as a large storm system moved through parts of the Plains, Midwest and South.
10:45 Ramdev's Amethi, Himachal campaigns banned over honeymoon remark
In the wake of yoga guru Ramdev's 'honeymoon' remarks against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Election Commission on Monday cancelled his Himachal Pradesh campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ramdev was scheduled to campaign in Kangra, Chamba and Nurpur. The Amethi admisitration has also banned his programmes scheduled on May 1 and 2.
Earlier, he was banned by the EC on Sunday from holding rallies in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh over the remark.
Ramdev is also facing arrest over his comment 'Rahul Gandhi visits Dalit homes for honeymoons and picnics'.
An FIR has been lodged in Ahmedabad by a city-based NGO for "insulting" the Dalit community and demanded action against him under the SC/ST Act, police said on Sunday.
10:15 Sensex down 27 points in early trade
The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 27 points in early trade today as funds and retail investors indulged in booking profits at prevailing levels amid forecast of below normal monsoon this year.
The 30-share barometer declined by 27.44 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 22,660.63. The index had lost 188.47 points on Friday.
Stocks of auto, PSUs, banking, FMCG and power sectors were the major losers.
Similarly, the NSE Nifty also fell by 15.35 points, or 0.23 per, to 6,767.40.
Brokers said selling, mostly of a profit-booking nature, by participants at current levels amid forecast of below normal monsoon this year, mainly influenced the trading sentiments here.
They said, a weak trend on other Asian bourses on concerns about Ukraine tensions, too triggered selling.
Among other Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei was down 1.15 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.46 per cent in early trade today.
10:11 Rahul Gandhi to address rallies in UP, Punjab today
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will hold poll rallies in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab on Monday to campaign for Lok Sabha elections.
The Gandhi scion will address rallies in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Bhatinda, Faridkot in Punjab.
Rahul's rally in UP comes a day after Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed rallies in the state.
Voting will be held for 14 Lok Sabha seats in UP and 13 in Punjab for April 30.
09:17 Repolling underway in 6 Uttar Pradesh seats
Repolling is underway on Monday at six polling stations of Agra, Firozabad and Etawah Lok Sabha constituencies as the Election Commission received complaints about booth capturing and intimidation during the election.
Several complaints were sent to the poll panel about bogus voting and booth capturing during the election held on Thursday, especially in the belt of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Following the complaints, the EC sent observers to asses the situation in the constituencies.
The EC observers, in their report, confirmed about illegal means of voting at booth no 160, 161 and another polling booth in Sirsaganj Legislative Assembly of Firozabad from where Akshay Yadav, the nephew of the SP chief, is contesting the election.
Repoll was also recommended for booth no 10, 14 in Dibiyapur Assembly segment in Etawah, the native place of the SP chief.
09:16 CBI meet to decide new special director today
The Central Bureau of Investigation will be meeting on Monday to consider one of the names sent by the government for appointing its special director.
The government has reportedly proposed the names of Director General of Police of Odhisa Prakash Mishra, Director General of Police of Kerala KS Balasubramaniam, Chief of Bureau of Police Research and Development Rajan Gupta.
While Mishra has a tenure till February 2016, the other two would be retiring by May 2015.
Mishra, who has worked in the CBI as well as National Investigating Agency, is among the front runners for the post.
The post has been lying vacant from November 30 last year after retirement of K Saleem Ali.
09:15 Modi to address four rallies in Gujarat today
In a bid to woo the electorate of his own land, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday address four rallies across the state.
After addressing the crowd at Amreli, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate will enthral audience at a poll rally at Sant Road. He will then go to Nadiad and then to Modasa.
Election for all 26 seats in Gujarat is scheduled to be held on April 30.
The State Election Commission has made 1,86,460 preventive arrests so far under CrPC to instil a sense of safety among voters and organise free and fair polls in Gujarat.
08:50 Ramdev faces arrest over 'honeymoon' remark
Yoga guru Ramdev has landed into deep trouble because of personal attacks made by him. Ramdev now faces arrest over his comment on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's 'honeymoon visits to Dalit homes'.
In spite of his apology, the yoga guru has been banned from holding meetings in Lucknow. It remains to be seen whether this will also affect Bharatiya janata Party Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's mission UP as well.
Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad too, a city-based NGO has lodged an FIR against Ramdev for "insulting" the Dalit community by his controversial "honeymoon" remark against Rahul and demanded action against him under the SC/ST Act, police said on Sunday.
08:49 Body of Major killed in Kashmir to be cremated in Chennai today
The body of Major Mukund Varadarajan, who was killed along with a jawan in an encounter with militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Friday, will be cremated in Chennai on Monday.
The coffin draped with the national flag and floral wreaths from senior Army officials arrived at the domestic terminal by an Air India flight from Delhi at around 11.45 pm on Sunday, police said.
Family members received the body, which has been kept at the military hospital at St Thomas Mount.
The cremation is expected to take place at Besant Nagar area here today with full military honours.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa yesterday had ordered Rs 10 lakh solatium to members of the bereaved family and also written to the Major's wife, extending condolences and calling the young officer "a brave son" and "courageous soldier."
08:48 Search for missing Malaysian plane continues
A remote-controlled mini-submarine deployed in the southern Indian Ocean to find the Malaysia Airlines plane today launched its 16th mission with still no sign of wreckage of the missing aircraft.
Autonomous underwater vehicle Bluefin 21, a US Navy probe equipped with side-scan sonar which is scouring the ocean floor for traces of the plane, has completed mission 15, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre said in a statement.
"Bluefin-21 concluded its mission 15 and was now on its next mission 16 this morning," it said, as the search entered its 52nd day.
Bluefin 21 has focused the search on an area in the southern Indian Ocean where four acoustic signals were detected that led authorities to believe that the plane's black box may be located there.
Hunt for the missing plane would continue today with up to nine military aircrafts and 12 ships planning to assist the search operations.
08:47 If India becomes communal, Kashmir not to remain with it: Farooq Abdullah
Union Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has said that communalism is not acceptable to the people of Kashmir and they will not remain with India if the country becomes communal.
"Pray to God to save us from communal forces so that we can move forward. India cannot become communal. If it becomes communal, then Kashmir will not remain with India. Communalism is not acceptable to Kashmiris," Abdullah told a poll rally at Khanyar in old city.
The NC head took a dig at BJP leader Griraj Singh and VHP's Praveen Togadia, saying "they say those who do not vote for Modi should go to Pakistan. (I say) Those who vote for Modi should drown in the sea."
08:45 Delhi, Mumbai have best value 5-star hotels globally: report
Delhi ranked number one for best deals in five-star hotels in 2013 with average prices of Rs. 9,652 per night, followed by Mumbai at the second place with Rs. 9,809, according to a report by Hotels.com.
"Delhi offered travellers the best deal on five-star accommodation with average prices of Rs. 9,652 a night in 2013. Mumbai followed in the second place with Rs. 9,809," according to the Hotel Price Index (HPI) by Hotels.com.
The Chinese city of Guangzhou was the third best with Rs. 9,812 per night, the report revealed.
Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, secured the fourth place with Rs. 10,144, while Berlin in Germany ranked fifth with Rs. 11,386.
When it came to deals on four-star hotels, the prices in Delhi and Mumbai were relatively competitive, the report said.
Delhi ranked fourth with Rs. 6,555 per night, while Mumbai was at fifth position with Rs. 7,010 in the four-star category.
08:44
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