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Thu, 04 December 2014
UAE police arrest suspect in stabbing death of American teacher

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23:23   UAE police arrest suspect in stabbing death of American teacher
The United Arab Emirates' interior minister said Thursday that police have arrested a female suspect in the killing of an American schoolteacher in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall.

After carrying out the murder at the Boutik Mall on the capital's Reem Island, the attacker also left a makeshift bomb at the house of a 46-year-old Egyptian-American doctor in the prominent waterfront Corniche area, authorities revealed.

One of the doctor's sons discovered the device as he headed out for sunset prayers at a local mosque, and police were able to dismantle it before it could cause any damage, Interior Minister Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan said.
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23:15   Five women go missing as boat capsizes in Vizag Agency
Five women from Jodugumma village of Rangabayalu panchayat were feared to have drowned after a boat capsized in Matsyagedda river under Munchangiput police station limits in Vizag Agency this evening.
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22:53   60 patients lose vision after operation at eye camp in Punjab
At least 60 persons have lost their eyesight after an operation at an eye camp organised by an NGO in Gurdaspur district, civil and medical authorities said today. 

While 16 persons belonged to villages of Amritsar the rest were from Gurdaspur district. All of them were admitted in city ENT hospitals of Amritsar and Gursdaspur.
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22:38   DD to air on Sunday musical tribute to 1965 war martyrs
Eminent singers and musicians will pay a musical tribute to the martyrs of the 1965 Indo-Pak war as part of a programme that will be telecast on Doordarshan's national channel this Sunday.
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22:38   Undercover reporter under fire in UK
Britain will re-examine 25 convictions secured through evidence provided by an undercover British reporter, famous for sting operations including the 2011 spot-fixing scandal that nailed three Pakistani cricketers, due to doubts over his reliability as a witness. 

Mazher Mahmood, also known as the "Fake Sheikh" because of an identity he assumed during several of his investigations, has secured many high-profile convictions in Britain including on drug charges involving celebrities and sporting figures.
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21:34  
The ashram of Ashutosh Maharaj, who was declared clinically dead on January 29, today moved Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a 30-day extension on the deadline given by it to perform the last rites of self-styled godman, so that it could challenge the verdict.

Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan moved a petition in the high court today saying they want a month's time to challenge the single judge bench order, which had directed on December 1 to conduct the last rites of the godman within 15 days, before a division bench.

The Application will come up for hearing tomorrow. On December 1, the court had directed to constitute a committee under the District Magistrate to look into the matter and asked DGP and chief secretary to monitor the situation.

The court had also observed that religious sentiments of the followers should not be hurt.
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20:45  
The Mumbai police on Thursday arrested one Pravin Kumar Pradhan, 23, for allegedly sending threatening messages to actor Madhuri Dixit on her Whatsapp account.

Pradhan used to work as a waiter at a restaurant, and claimed to be an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, and said he got her number from a film magazine.

According to the police,the accused had sent four text messages to the actress, threatening that if she did not pay am certain amount, he would kill her child.
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19:57   Sushma Swaraj most followed foreign minister on Twitter
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the third most-followed world leader on Twitter, Sushma Swaraj had grabbed the top slot among all foreign ministers active on the micro-blogging platform. India's @SushmaSwaraj is the most followed foreign minister with 1,737,804 followers, ahead of Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates @ABZayed with 1,380,574 followers and Venezuela's @JauaMiranda with 758,198 followers. While the ranking is based on numbers till November-end, Sushma Swaraj, who joined the social platform in November 2010, now has about 19 lakh followers.
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19:37   Kim Jong-un's sister 'to visit South Korea for festival'
North Korea has offered to send leader Kim Jong-un's increasingly influential sister to a private cultural festival in Seoul next year, the South Korean organiser of the event said. If Kim Yo-Jong were to make the trip, it would be the first visit to the South by an immediate member of the North's ruling family.However, a senior official in the South's Unification Ministry said it was unconvinced the proposal was genuine.
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19:28   Congress-NCP mock coming together of Shiv Sena and BJP
Reacting to the patch-up between the estranged allies Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party, the opposition Nationalist Congress Party called it a mockery of democracy and said mere numbers would not ensure stability of the BJP-led government. 

"The kind of words used against each other by leaders of both the parties in the last one month was for everyone to see. This is nothing but a mockery of democracy. For the first time in the state's history, the main, 63-MLA-stong opposition party has walked over to the treasury benches within a month of new government taking over," said state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare. 

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced this morning that Sena was joining the government.
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18:53   Sharad Pawar to undergo surgery tomorrow
NCP chief and former union minister Sharad Pawar is scheduled to undergo a surgery at a private hospital in Mumbai tomorrow after he sustained a leg injury from a fall at his Delhi residence and was flown here.  "Pawar will undergo a surgery at the Breach Candy hospital tomorrow morning," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. "Pawar sustained a leg fracture after a fall at his Delhi residence. Doctors will perform a minor surgery and mend the injury point on his leg," senior NCP leader Praful Patel added. 
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18:43   Opposition may push govt to adopt resolution condemning minister's hate remarks
The opposition has extended an olive branch to the BJP after the continued ruckus in Parliament over the last three days despite the PM's statement today.

PM Narendra Modi today told Parliament that he has "criticised in the strongest terms" the language used by union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in an election speech in Delhi.

He urged that the house should function since the minister has apologised. 

The opposition however demanded that the minister be sacked for her hate speech and a united opposition walked out just before lunch, alleging that their mics had been switched off.

The opposition has however offered a compromise -- adopt a resolution condemning the ministers hate remarks without naming her.

If the house agrees, the Parliament can finally get on with it's work after four days.
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17:51   Uddhav, family meet Maharashtra governor
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today called upon Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai today.

"It was a courtesy meeting," an official from the Governor's office said.

Rao had invited Uddhav and his family members for lunch, the official added.

Governor's wife Vinodha Rao, Uddhav's wife Rashmi and their sons Aditya and Tejas were present on the occasion.

Uddhav presented a copy of the book 'Fatkare' which is a compilation of late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's cartoons, to the Governor.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today formally announced participation of Sena, which has been in opposition, in his government.
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17:27   Gopinath Munde death: CBI files chargesheet against 'negligent' cabbie
Just in: CBI files chargesheet against taxi driver Gurvinder Singh for 'rash driving and causing death by negligent driving' in Gopinath Munde's death.

Munde, a popular Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Maharashtra, was on his way to the Indira Gandhi International airport June 3 when his car was hit by another vehicle at the Prithviraj Road-Tughlak Road roundabout in Lutyens' Delhi.

Munde died due to shock and haemorrhage following injuries to his neck and liver in the accident.

Delhi Police registered a case against 32-year-old driver Gurvinder Singh, whose car hit Munde's vehicle.
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17:22   I bow to Justice Krishna Iyer: PM
PM Modi tweets his tribute on the occasion of eminent jurist Krishna Iyer's death. Modi tweeted: "My thoughts are with his family during this moment of immense sadness. Whenever I would meet or talk to him, I would find him full of enthusiasm, always talking about the well-being of India. A remarkable man! My association with Justice Krishna Iyer was special. My mind goes back to our conversations and the insightful letters he would write to me. Fine lawyer, eminent jurist, incredible philosopher abd above all a phenomenal human being. I bow to Justice Krishna Iyer."
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17:13   HC junks pleas challenging voice vote win of BJP govt in Maharashtra
The Bombay High Court today said it did not have the jurisdiction to hear petitions challenging the decision of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker who had ordered a 'voice vote' instead of a head count, enabling the newly-elected BJP government to prove its majority in the House last month.
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16:54   Sonia, Kharge strategise after PM's statement on sadhvi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi was seen in the inner lobby of the Lok Sabha talking to Mallikarjun Kharge (leader of the Congress in the LS) and Anand Sharma (deputy leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha). They are believed to have discussed the Congress strategy after PM Narendra Modi's statement in the Rajya Sabha that the house should function since minister Niranjan Jyoti had apologised. Incidentally, it has been observed that Congress MP Rajiv Sukhla has been seen rather often with BJP leaders. Bonhomie or is something brewing?
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16:38  
Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah tweets: The same rope sports PDP flags along side NC flags. Probably the closest NC & PDP ever come :-)
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16:37   Subramanian Swamy-Kanimozhi walked the talk in Parl
We wonder what DMK MP Kanimozhi told Dr Subramanian Swamy at the main gate of the Central Hall of Parliament. The fact that they had a long conversation was noticed by many MPs seated inside Central Hall -- especially AIADMK MPs. AIADMK and Dr Swamy don't exactly go out for coffee since he has been openly critical of J Jayalalithaa and is a petitioner in the disproportionate assets case that got her briefly jailed. '
A case of your enemy's enemy is your friend?
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16:25   BJP MP protests map depicting parts of PoK as part of Pakistan
A BJP member today made a strong plea that India should ask China to withdraw a latest map published by a Chinese news agency showing some parts of Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Pakistan.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, S S Ahluwalia said India has already protested over the agreement between China and Pakistan over Gilgit-Baltistan region.
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16:19   Eminent Supreme Court jurist VR Krishna Iyer passes away
Eminent jurist V R Krishna Iyer passes away. Iyer, a former judge of the Supreme Court, has been in hospital since November 28 and developed weakness on the left side of the body on Tuesday. Iyer had turned 100 last month.
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16:11   Congress MP who jumped in to defend a BJP MP
It may now be revealed that CPM MP P Rajeev likened  BJP MP Dr Chandan Mitra with Adolf Hitler. Mitra heads the Select Committee for the Insurance Bill.

Mitra received unexpected support from Congress MP Anand Sharma, who said he did not agree with Rajeev's remarks. Sharma said Dr Mitra had been appointed to head the committee by the Rajya Sabha chairperson and was a colleague. Sharma said no derogatory remarks should be made against Mitra. MPs from the AIADMK, Congress and BJP supported Sharma. 
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16:08   Pin-drop silence in Parliament as PM walks in to Rajya Sabha
Ruckus and adjournments marked the day in Parliament today (much like any other day). 

But it was with silence that the Rajya Sabha opened today -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- had just entered the upper house. MPs who stood in the Well of the House went back to their seats.

The eyes of every single Congress MP was on the PM as he walked to his seat greeting MPs along the way.

We watched as DMK, AIADMK and TMC MPs walked up to the Prime Minister to greet him. Modi patted each MP on the shoulder and asked about their well-being as he remained seated.

Modi shook hands with with DMK MP KV Ramalingam and then spoke to Dr V Maitreyan in Hindi and asked him for updates from the standing committee proceedings on the Insurance Bill.

BJP MPs Chandan Mitra and Venkaiah Naidu were standing near Modi when Maitreyan was briefing the PM.
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16:07   Punish those involved in insulting CRPF men: HM to C'Garh govt
Amid outrage over recovery of uniforms belonging to martyred CRPF jawans in a garbage dump near a Raipur hospital, Centre has asked Chhattisgarh government to investigate the matter and punish those involved in "insulting" the troopers.
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15:46   Dog bites man and here's why it's still news
Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra had a bandage around his left hand. Mitra, who is chairman of the Select Committee on Insurance had been bitten by his pet dog. His Parliamentary colleagues asked him about the bandage and Dr Mitra told them he had to get four injections, but was able to move his hand.
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15:24  
Not happy with the WC probables list? Select your own team right here.
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15:21   World Cup 2015 probables announced; Bhajji, Yuvi, Sehwag dumped
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's selection committee meeting to pick the 30-man probables list for 2015 World Cup has just ended. The meeting was held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir have been left out.

All these players were part of India's World Cup winning squad in 2011.

The names in the squad include:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Sanju Samson, R Ashwin, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami, Umesh Yadav, V Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Kuldeep Yadav and Murali Vijay.
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14:59   Samajwadi Janata Dal. Mulayam-Nitish's new non-BJP, non-Cong front
It's called the Samajwadi Janata Dal.

Former Bihar CM and Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav have announced a new front that is non-Congress, non-BJP.

Nitish said that he had discussions on the current political scenario with Mulayam Singh and both have decided to work together inside and outside
Parliament.

"We will have a common stand on issues. We will hold the next meeting on December 22, which will be followed up by a protest over the black money issue," Nitish said. 

He said Mulayam Singh will take charge of talks to unite parties belonging to the "Janata parivar". "Mulayam Singh Yadav has been authorised to take steps to unite parties, hold discussions," Nitish Kumar today.
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14:43   Rediff staffer turns hero, fights off eve-teasers
When Akhtar Shaikh, senior art director with Rediff.com, left his gym in Vashi on Wednesday at around 8 pm, he as usual expected to head home to his wife and family.

As he kicked his Royal Enfield motorcycle to life and was about to cruise on to the highway, what seemed like an altercation caught his attention. Stopping to enquire, he found that a young girl was being harassed by three guys.

Tired of reading news reports of passers-by seldom helping people, especially young women, in distress, the well-built Akhtar decided to intervene.

It was three versus one, but it didn't faze him. While two of the assailants managed to flee, but not before hitting Akhtar on the arm with a metal club-like object, he managed to get hold of one of them and handed him over to the police patrol van.

Akhtar is now in hospital with a fractured arm, but says he is glad he stood up for what was right.
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14:36  
The father of the girls had informed the media that there was pressure on the family from panchayat in the village in Rohtak, where the attackers lived. The panchayat had told the district administration to release the three boys within 24 hours.

Even if the girls are serial thrashers, so what? In a society where women are increasingly under attack in rural and urban India, it takes immense courage to stand up and fight your attackers. Instead of supporting them, the media has chosen to listen to their attackers.
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14:28   Rohtak sisters are 'serial thrashers'; cash award, felicitation on hold
The Haryana government has put on hold the cash awards and felicitation function of the two sisters who single-handedly took on three alleged eve-teasers in a moving bus.

The two girls from Rohtak in Haryana who were earlier lauded for taking on the three eve teasers are now facing criticism after another video surfaced on Tuesday showing them thrashing another alleged eve-teaser.

Families of the accused seen in the first video have alleged that its a routine for the sisters to thrash men. Girls claim it's a conspiracy to get them to withdraw the case against the three men in the bus.

A woman passenger on the bus also said that the girls were lying and the fight was about seats.
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14:14   Protests erupt in New York after jury decision in police death
Thousands of protesters hit the streets of New York after a grand jury declined to charge a white police officer in the choking death of a black man, days after a similar decision sparked unrest in US cities.

Soon after the decision by the grand jury, hundreds of protesters converged on Rockefeller Center and in New York City's iconic Times Square chanting "No justice, no peace," the rallying cry of demonstrators already angered by a separate grand jury decision last week not to indict a white policeman in the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Police made at least 30 arrests, New York Police said. 
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13:37   I had called Uddhav Thackeray: Fadnavis
So, the BJP says the Shiv Sena will now be a part of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra. Fadnavis said he had called Uddhav Thackeray and said that talks for an alliance must be held. Fadnavis said Uddhav was also positive about it. 
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13:32   Fadnavis: Sena will get 5 cabinet, 7 MoS berths in Maharashtra
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis holds a joint press conference of his party and the Shiv Sena on cabinet expansion. Fadnavis said he has have urged the Shiv Sena to join the Maharashtra government. Twelve Sena members will be join the government tomorrow. Fadnavis said it was the people's mandate and Maharashtra wanted the Sena to join government.

Fadnavis said, "This is not merely an alliance for government formation, but for the future as well. Five cabinet ministers and seven ministers of state have been agreed upon for the Sena. We will finalise the names this evening."
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13:12  
Sahara Group sells 185 acre land in Gurgaon to M3M India for Rs 1,211 crore.
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13:03   The man behind #putoutyourbats Phillip Hughes tribute
The Sydney father who started a global social media phenomenon with his simple tribute to Phillip Hughes - #putoutyourbats '" was overcome with emotion at his home on Thursday as the outpouring of good will was quantified in numbers. Read
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12:50   DMK chief Karunanidhi leaves TN Assembly, says, 'No place for disabled like me'
DMK chief M Karunanidhi today angrily left the Tamil Nadu assembly, saying "there is no place here for a disabled like me."

NDTV reports that the wheelchair-bound former chief minister left the house after marking his attendance.

"There is no place for a disabled like me in the assembly. I'm sad they act in a way to ensure that I leave. I've served as an MLA for 50 years. Today I'm unable to serve. I did not expect this kind of disrespect," Karunanidhi, 90, said as he left.

The veteran politician said he had expected special seating as he was on a wheelchair.He has been using the electrically-powered wheelchair since 2008.
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12:42   CJI vows to NEVER ignore peoples grievances, sets up Social Justice Bench
Resolute that people's voices never go unheard before the highest court of the land, Chief Justice of India H L Dattu has set up a special bench, christened "Social Justice Bench', to specifically deal with the issues troubling a common man in everyday life.

This is the first time the Supreme Court will have a dedicated bench to hear cases pertaining to public interest and all fresh PILs may be heard by the new bench from now. Currently, such cases are scattered over different benches. Read more
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12:26  
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm as opposition demands sacking of Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.
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12:08  
Chhattisgarsh government will inquire how CRPF martyrs' uniforms were abandoned in trash, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
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12:08   Mr. Modi must do the right thing
The remarks of Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, at a public meeting in Delhi alluding to religious minorities as illegitimate children, were communal, provocative, and quite out of line for a person holding public office.

Her apology was weak, and evidently made under duress, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Parliament not to lose their demeanour and to exercise caution while making public statements. Read more
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12:04   Mamata's 'bamboo up the rear' remark to Amit Shah
Three days after BJP president Amit Shah alleged in Kolkata that Saradha money had been used to fund terror, union minister Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha that investigators had found no such link.

Within hours, a triumphant Mamata Banerjee declared, in colourful language, that unpredictable consequences befall those who spend their time looking for ways to harass others.

Shanti na thakle kono kichhu hoyna nijera korte paaren-ni, jaara korchhe, sarakkhon taader pichhone ki kore bamboo deya jaaye, taar chinta kore berachhe (Nothing is possible without peace they could do nothing themselves, and are now all the time looking for ways to stick a bamboo up the backside of those who are trying to do something), the Trinamool Congress chief told a public rally in Jalpaiguri in North Bengal on Wednesday. Read more
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11:58   Fadnavis ministry expansion tomorrow
The 34-day-old Devendra Fadnavis-led ministry in Maharashtra will be expanded tomorrow, amid indications of a "patch up" with former ally Shiv Sena.

The ceremony will be held at the Vidhan Bhawan premises at 4 pm.

Fadnavis had met BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday and is believed to have got the nod for BJP probables in the expansion exercise.

Meanwhile, there is no clarity yet on the number of ministers to be inducted from Sena, with the figure varying from 7 to 12. Presently there are eight cabinet and two ministers of state in the Fadnavis ministry sworn in on October 31.

However, a senior Sena leader said that the party will insist on one more minister to be inducted in Modi cabinet, besides Anant Gite.
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11:52  
Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon as opposition demands action against Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti for her controversial remarks.
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11:36   Lesson that we must learn to speak carefully: Modi on Niranajan rant
PM Modi on the sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti drama: Modi says he has strongly criticized such language. "She has apologized. It's a lesson that we must all speak carefully. House should accept her apology," he says. 
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11:30   Yechury: How can Niranjan Jyoti remain minister?
CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury says minister Niranjan Jyoti has violated the constitution and questions how she can remain a minister. 
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11:28   PM asks Parl to accept Sadhvi Niranjan's apology, let house function
Just in: PM Narendra Modi spoke to the Rajya Sabha today and said that the House should accept the minister's apology and let Parliament function. "It's a lesson that we must speak carefully," the PM said.
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11:08   Now, passengers, neighbours question Rohtak sisters 'character'
But of course, the 'character' of the Rohtak sisters are being questioned days after the two videos showing them beating up men who harassed them in two separate incidents.  

Three passengers of the bus where the sisters were harassed and three residents of the sisters' village have come forward with testimonies and affidavits to support the three youths currently under arrest.  Read more
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10:49   ED unearths suspect bank accounts in Burdwan blast case
Update on the Burdwan blast: The Enforcement Directorate probing the money laundering aspect in the Burdwan blast case has unearthed a few suspect bank accounts and would probe whether they were linked to terror funding.

"We have got a few account numbers of some unidentified persons while probing the money trail in the Burdwan blast case," an official source said.

The source said the agency had obtained the account numbers of the persons whose identities were yet to be ascertained. The agency would probe possible links of these accounts to find whether money was used for terror funding.
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10:25   Loose cigarettes ban on hold, Sensex gets a nicotine rush
The benchmark BSE Sensex staged a strong comeback by surging over 278 points and the NSE Nifty hit a new high of 8,626.95 in early trade today as shares of ITC led the rally on expectations that the proposal to ban sale of loose cigarettes is likely to be put on hold.

Among cigarette companies, ITC Ltd rallied by 3.98 per cent to Rs 377.45, Godfrey Phillips rose 6.57 per cent to Rs 627.55, Golden Tobacco by 4.02 per cent to Rs 37.55 and VST Industries rose 2.43 per cent to Rs 1,915.
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10:08   India's World Cup probables to be picked today
The preliminary list of 30 Indian probables for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is to be finalised in Mumbai today by the national selectors, who may include a few proven but currently out-of-form cricketers.

The meeting of the five-member selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil is scheduled for 1 pm, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Sanjay Patel said.

Among the proven performers, who are currently not in top form but were members of the victorious 2011 squad, are Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra.

Yuvraj, who won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2011 World Cup, has been woeful with the bat recently. So it would be interesting to see if the selectors feel he is still good enough to be included in the preliminary list before it is pruned down by January 7th and sent to the ICC ahead of the February 14-March 29 mega event.

Otherwise, the selectors are expected to retain the 14 names that they selected for the last two home ODIs against Sri Lanka along with players who were rested -- M S Dhoni, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, Mohd Shami, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan and R Jadeja.
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10:05   Oil prices up on lower US supplies
Oil prices rose in Asia today after a dip in US crude stockpiles raised optimism about energy demand in the world's top crude consumer during the winter season, analysts said. 

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January delivery rose 33 cents to $67.71, while Brent crude for January gained 41 cents to $70.33 in late-morning trade. 

The US Department of Energy said in its latest inventory report that crude stockpiles dropped 3.7 million barrels in the week ended November 28. 

Analysts surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had predicted a rise of 600,000 barrels. 

Daniel Ang, an investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, said the drop was supporting crude prices "slightly".

"Price consolidations seems to have ended," he said, referring to volatility in the crude market this week following a sharp sell-off. 

Oil prices plunged last Thursday after the OPEC cartel announced it was maintaining its output despite global oversupply. Prices hit five-year lows Monday, with WTI as hitting $63.72 and Brent at $67.53, before rebounding. 

Oil prices have fallen around 30 percent since late June, weighed down by concerns of a glut of crude on world markets and weak demand.
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10:03   ED unearths suspect bank accounts in Burdwan blast case
The Enforcement Directorate probing the money laundering aspect in the Burdwan blast case has unearthed a few suspect bank accounts and would probe whether they were linked to terror funding.

"We have got a few account numbers of some unidentified persons while probing the money trail in the Burdwan blast case," an official source said.

The source said the agency had obtained the account numbers of the persons whose identities were yet to be ascertained.

The agency would probe possible links of these accounts to find whether money was used for terror funding.

Early November, the ED had registered a case of money laundering against Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and several of its recruits in connection with the blast.

The case was registered by the agency based on the FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency and the information provided by it. The NIA is probing the terror angle of the blast which took place in October two.

The source said that accounts of the accused persons named in the FIR were also being probed to ascertain the money trail.

Asked whether the agency had got any clue so far on money raised by Ponzi firms being used for terror funding, the source said no evidence was there as of now.

Soon after the NIA took charge of the probe, a team from the terror funding cell of the agency met ED officials to share information.
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09:30   Modi has shaken up India's bureaucratic inertia: Obama
United States President Barack Obama on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to shake up the "bureaucratic inertia" in India, less than a month after he described the Indian leader as a "man of action".

However, Obama said that this was a long-term project and one would have to see how successful Prime Minister Modi is in his efforts.

"Modi has impressed me so far with his willingness to shake up the bureaucratic inertia inside of India. But that is a long-term project and we'll have to see how successful he is," Obama told a business roundtable, which was attended by top corporate leaders of the country.

The roundtable was organised to discuss the current economic condition of the US and across the globe. 

Last month in Myanmar on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, Obama in his brief interaction with Modi had told him that he is a "man of action".

On his return from the 10-day trip to the Asia Pacific region that took him to Beijing, Myanmar and Australia, Obama announced that he has accepted an invitation to be the chief guest at the annual Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26 next year.

In his interaction at the business round table, Obama said the US, over the last six years, has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and the rest of the advanced world combined.
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09:23   US Justice Dept to investigate NYC chokehold death
The US Justice Department will conduct a federal investigation into the chokehold death of an unarmed black man after a grand jury in New York City declined to indict the white police officer who applied the hold, Attorney General Eric Holder said.

The investigation will look for potential civil rights investigations in the July 17 death of Eric Garner, 43, who was confronted by the officer on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

A video shot by an onlooker showed Garner telling officers to leave him alone as they tried to arrest him and one then responded by wrapping his arm around Garner's neck in what appeared to be a chokehold.

It will be similar to a separate federal investigation already underway into the August 9 shooting death in Ferguson of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old. A county grand jury in that case decided against indicting the white officer, Darren Wilson. 

Calling the death a "tragedy," Holder yesterday said it was one of "several recent incidents that have tested the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and the communities they are charged to serve and protect." 

The death occurred weeks before the deadly police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, a case also under investigation by the Justice Department and in which a local grand jury last week not issue an indictment.
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09:01   India celebrates 43rd Navy Day today
A series of operational displays will be held in Visakhapatnam on Thursday to celebrate the 43rd Navy Day, commemorating the Indian Navy 's successful operation on Karachi Harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will be the chief guest at the event scheduled to take place at the Ramakrishna Beach.

According to reports, operational display will have 20 ships, 23 aircraft and a submarine showcasing the capability and versatility of Naval ships, submarines, aircraft and the Special Forces.

The event will begin with Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral Satish Soni laying a wreath at the War Memorial on the Ramakrishna Beach.
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08:51   Sadhvi row: Modi to attend Rajya Sabha, Oppn out with knives
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to appear in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour on Thursday amidst the stalemate in the Parliament over the alleged hate speech made by the Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti during a recent rally in Delhi.

Even after disrupting the Parliaments work for two consecutive days the opposition MPs seems to be adamant and united to disrupt both Houses of Parliament for the third day today, demanding her resignation and the government categorically saying no.

A united Opposition created an uproar in both houses, leading to repeated adjournments in the Rajya Sabha and once in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

However, Delhi Police had yesterday registered a complaint against the minister.

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti triggered a row while addressing a rally in the national capital on Monday when she said, "The people of Delhi have to decide if they want a government of ha***zadon (descendants of Ram) or ha***zadon (those who are illegitimately born)."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had appealed to the Opposition yesterday, to not disrupt the Question Hour to be held today, saying they can talk out and walk out but "let there be no break out".

Trouble is expected again today when Prime Minister Modi will arrive in the Rajya Sabha for answering questions relating to departments under his charge.
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08:46   NASA's Orion spacecraft set for test flight Thursday
The Orion spacecraft, designed to carry humans farther in deep space than ever before, is poised to blast off Thursday in what NASA hailed as a first step in mankind`s journey to Mars.

No astronauts will be on board the capsule when it launches aboard the United States' largest rocket, the Delta IV Heavy made by United Launch Alliance, but engineers will be keenly watching to see how it performs during the four-and-a-half hour flight.

The launch marks the first of a US spacecraft meant to carry people into deep space since the Apollo missions that brought men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

With no American vehicle to send humans to space since the space shuttle was retired in 2011, some at NASA said the Orion launch has re-energized the US space programme, long constrained by government belt-tightening and forced to rely on costly rides aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft to reach the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit.

"We haven't had this feeling in awhile, since the end of the shuttle program, (of) launching an American spacecraft from America's soil and beginning something new," said Mike Sarafin, lead flight director at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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08:43   Sonia in Rae Bareli today, may join Rahul at SGMH anniv event
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will arrive on a two-day visit to her parliamentary constituency in Rae Bareli on Thursday.

She is also scheduled to pay a surprise visit to several villages besides taking part in the district vigilance and monitoring committee meeting and holding deliberations with senior leaders of her party, official sources said.

After a night-halt at the Bhueymau guest house, she would likely meet delegations and members of the public in the morning and attend a programme organised by the zila panchayat at Pure Pausan village.

In a rare coordinated constituency visit of the mother-son duo, Rae Bareli and Amethi MPs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day tour of their parliamentary constituencies over the next few days.

As per reports, Rahul, who arrived in Lucknow yesterday morning will participate in the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he will lay foundation stone of a community college.
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03:39   US: World is watching how China handles Hong Kong
The world is watching how China deals with Hong Kong and its commitments to preserve freedoms there amid continuing tensions over prodemocracy protests, the United States' top diplomat for East Asia said today. 

Daniel Russel told a Senate panel the US supports the right of citizens of the semi-autonomous Chinese city to a free election for its chief executive in 2017.
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02:50   Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq: Pentagon
Iran has conducted air strikes against Islamic State (IS) in eastern Iraq in recent days, a Pentagon spokesman says.

Rear Adm John Kirby said the US, which has conducted its own air strikes in Iraq, was not co-ordinating with Iran.

Without confirming the air strikes directly, a top Iranian official also dismissed talk of co-operation.Representatives of the US-led international coalition against IS are gathering at Nato headquarters in Brussels for a summit.
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02:15   Michael Brown's stepfather apologises for comments
The stepfather of Michael Brown has apologised for angry comments he made after the grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who killed his unarmed 18-year-old stepson, but said his remarks had nothing to do with the arson and looting that ravaged Ferguson and the surrounding area. 

Police said yesterday they are investigating Louis Head's comments as part of a broader inquiry into the arson, vandalism and looting that followed the announcement of the grand jury decision on November 24.
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02:15   France is ready to step up airstrikes in Iraq
France's president said that the country is ready to step up airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq, alongside the US-led coalition. 

After a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Paris today, Francois Hollande told journalists that France was ready to "carry out quick and efficient actions" to back up Iraqi forces.
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02:14   Ukraine reports accident at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
Ukraine has reported an accident at a nuclear power plant but the government says it poses no danger.

It happened on November 28, forcing one reactor to be shut down.

The Zaporizhzhya plant in the country's southeast produces a fifth of Ukraine's electricity.

It lies some 300 kilometres west of Donetsk, well away from the conflict zone where the Ukrainian army is fighting pro-Russian separatists.
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01:37   US teacher fatally stabbed in Abu Dhabi shopping mall
An American kindergarten teacher who is the mother of twins was stabbed to death in the bathroom of an Abu Dhabi shopping mall by a robed figure dubbed the "Reem Island Ghost," police said Wednesday.

The attack on the teacher "identified by her family as 47-year-old Ibolya Ryan ," comes just weeks after the US embassies in the Middle East warned citizens of an anonymous posting on a jihadist website encouraging attacks against teachers at American schools in the Middle East.
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00:42   Turkey-US moving closer on Syria no-fly zone: Ankara
NATO allies Turkey and the United States are narrowing their differences over plans to create a no-fly zone along the Syrian border, the Turkish foreign minister said today. 

However, his comments contrast with statements from the White House which suggest the two countries remain divided on how to respond to the Syria conflict.
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00:35   IAEA needs millions more for Iran monitoring
The UN nuclear agency says it will need an extra USD 5.7 million from members to fund extended intensive monitoring of Iran's nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency specifies that amount in a confidential note dated today and shared with The Associated Press.
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00:33   US drone strike kills 25 Taliban militants in Afghanistan
25 militants were tonight killed in a CIA-operated US drone strike targeting militant positions on Afghanistan side near Pak-Afghan border, security sources said. The drone fired missiles at two compounds of militants in Mach Magi area in Afghanistan near Pakistan boundary, killing the militants.
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00:32   11th Sierra Leonean doctor infected with Ebola
Another Sierra Leonean doctor has become infected with Ebola, an official said today, as the country lags behind in its efforts to contain the deadly disease. 

Ebola has sickened more than 17,000 people, the majority of those in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Rates of infections are now stabilising or declining in Guinea and Liberia, but the disease is picking up speed in Sierra Leone.

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