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Thu, 13 November 2014
ISIS leader al-Baghdadi: 'Erupt volcanoes of jihad'

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23:50   Facebook again tries to simplify privacy policy
One more time, Facebook is trying to simplify its lengthy privacy policy and make it much shorter to explain how it targets advertisements to its 1.35 billion users. 

The world's largest online social network uses the information people share on its site, along with the apps they use and the outside websites they visit, to show them advertisements deemed relevant to them.
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23:50   Facebook again tries to simplify privacy policy
One more time, Facebook is trying to simplify its lengthy privacy policy and make it much shorter to explain how it targets advertisements to its 1.35 billion users. 

The world's largest online social network uses the information people share on its site, along with the apps they use and the outside websites they visit, to show them advertisements deemed relevant to them.
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23:23   IS group leader says will fight to last man
The leader of the Islamic State group said it will fight to the last man, in a strident audio recording released today that was his first public statement since a US-led alliance launched airstrikes against his fighters in Iraq and Syria. 

The statement was posted online six days after Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was wounded in an airstrike in Iraq. It was not clear whether the recording was made before or after the incident.
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22:21  
ISIS leader al-Baghdadi: 'Erupt volcanoes of Jihad':
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of extremist group ISIS, called on his supporters to "erupt volcanoes of jihad' in an apparent new audio message released Thursday. 

The recording, which appeared to be genuine according to Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm and NBC News counterterrorism consultancy, came days after speculation that Baghdadi had been wounded in an airstrike in Iraq.

"O soldiers of the Islamic State, continue to harvest the soldiers," the recording said. "Erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the Earth with fire." The extremist leader claimed the bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq is failing, saying: "America and its allies are terrified, weak, and powerless.'
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22:16   Rajan keeps promise, speaks in Hindi at RBI function
A year after promising to address the audience in Hindi, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today walked the talk and delivered his keynote address in the official language at a function.

"It has become an integral part of customer service to work in Hindi in the changing economic scenario. That is the reason the RBI is always with you for promoting Hindi and other vernacular languages," he said.

Rajan was speaking at the RBI headquarters while giving away the 'Rajbhasha Shield' awards for 2012-13 to the banking sector stakeholders this evening.

Last year addressing the award ceremony, Rajan, who has spent most of his life outside India, had promised to speak in Hindi at the next Rajbhasha function, which was held today.
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21:08   Fifa report 'erroneous', says lawyer who investigated corruption claims
From the BBC: Fifa's report into allegations of corruption during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has been questioned - by the man who investigated claims of wrongdoing.

Read the full story here
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20:57  
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here today that he would get involved in the politics in Uttar Pradesh, from where he has been to elected to Rajya Sabha, only if BJP asked him to.

Parrikar was elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament from Lucknow today.

Responding to a question whether he will have a political role in UP, Parrikar said "if the party wants, I will....Right now, the party has not told me anything. The party has asked me to become Rajya Sabha MP from there (Lucknow). As an MP, whatever requires to be done in that constituency I will be doing." The former Goa Chief Minister said he would be resigning as Panaji MLA tomorrow.
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20:23   3 India-born CEOs on Fortune Business Person of the Year list
Three leading India-born CEOs, including Microsoft's Satya Nadella, who took their companies "full speed ahead" have featured in Fortune's Businessperson of the Year list topped by Google CEO Larry Page.

Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Harman International Chairman Dinesh Paliwal have been named among 50 global corporate heads by Fortune Magazine in its annual 'Businessperson of the Year' compilation. Banga is ranked 28th on the list, Nadella 38th and Paliwal 42nd.

These corporate heads "kept a steady hand on the tiller '" and took their companies full speed ahead" in a year of "tumult from volatile markets to viral outbreaks to a striking return to Cold War politics."
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20:02   India, China to hold anti-terrorism exercise in Pune
Indian and Chinese militaries will hold a joint anti-terrorism military exercise in Pune, the fourth between the armies of the two Asian giants. The exercise, code-named 'Hand-in-Hand 2014', will take place in Pune and had been coordinated through talks between the two countries' leaders and military, state-run news agency Xinhua reported today.

The date of the drill has not yet been released. A company of 139 soldiers from southwest China's Chengdu Military Command will join their Indian counterparts for the exercise to be conducted in urban cities and townships. The two sides will also send representatives to observe the drill.

The upcoming drill will be the fourth of its kind between the two countries' armies.
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19:51   Court asks CBI to re-issue summons to Dow in gas leak case
A local court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to re-issue summons to US based multinational giant, Dow Chemical to appear before it and submit why it didn't present itself during the trial of the world's worst industrial disaster known as the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984.

Dow, the global chemical giant, took over Union Carbide Corporation in 2000. Leakage of toxic gas from the UCC factory here had killed more than 3,500 people in 1984.

On July 23 last year, the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court has issued summons to Dow asking it to send its representative to appear before it yesterday, but nobody appeared, after which the court asked for reissuing of summons to the company.
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19:44   Sunanda Pushkar's viscera samples may be sent abroad
Delhi Police are considering sending viscera samples of former union minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in a hotel here in January, to forensic laboratories abroad to determine the type of poison that is suspected to have caused her death.

The AIIMS medical board had, in its second report submitted to police recently, confirmed poisoning as the reason behind her death but did not mention the type of poison that caused her death.

They had listed some kind of poisons most of which were radioactive isotopes that cannot be detected by labs in India. According to a senior police official, police are now mulling sending the viscera samples to a United Kingdom-based laboratory which has facilities to test all kinds of poisons.
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19:32   French navy chief arrives on six-day visit
The French Navy chief Admiral Bernard Rogel today arrived in New Delhi on a six-day visit during which he will tour naval facilities in Goa and Mumbai, besides seeing the Mazagon Dock which is building six Scorpene submarines with help of a French firm.

The admiral was received at the South Block lawns in the afternoon by Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan and accorded a ceremonial guard of honour.

Outlining the importance of his visit, Rogel said, "India has been a strategic partner to France for years." Asked if he would be visiting the Mazagon Dock Ltd, he said, "Of course. I am a submariner. We have several submarines and therefore it is important to have this sort of discussion."

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Dhowan played down the issue of docking of Chinese submarines at Sri Lankan ports. "They (Chinese submarines) are in Sri Lanka waters. They are visiting Sri Lankan ports. That is an issue between the Sri Lankan Navy and Chinese," he said, adding that the Chinese have never approached India for any replenishments for its submarines.

"It is the responsibility of the Indian Navy to safeguard the maritime interests of the country and we monitor all the activities in the maritime domain in our area of interest," he said.
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18:47   Encounter between security forces, militants in Kashmir still on
An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Kulgam district of south Kashmir this evening, police said.

The encounter broke out at Chounigam village, 70 kms from Srinagar, when security forces launched a search operation following information about the presence of some militants there, a police spokesman said.

The militants, hiding in a house, opened fire on the search party which retaliated triggering a gunfight, the spokesman said.

He said the gun-battle between the holed up militants and security forces was going on. There was no immediate report of any casualty on either side, the spokesman said.
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18:46   HC dismisses petition challenging validity of Fadnavis govt
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis tweets: The High Court today dismissed the writ petition challenging the validity of the new government of Maharashtra.

The 13-day-old BJP government headed by Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday won the confidence motion in Maharashtra assembly by a voice vote, amid protests by former ally Shiv Sena.

Both the Sena and the Congress said the government was illegitimate since the confidence motion was passed by a voice vote and said it amounted to "strangling democracy".
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18:30   Child fighter tormented by ISIS
Just two weeks ago, Yasir was regularly strapped into an explosive vest and handed a pistol, an AK-47 and a radio to stand guard at an ISIS base in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor.Yasir -- not his real name -- is just 15 and an ISIS child soldier.

When we first met, he was clearly nervous, his hands slightly quivering as he picked up his cup of tea.Understandable, given all he has been through and the twisted mental maze he is trying to navigate.  Read
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18:04   Keen to have you visit, Chinese PM tells Modi in Myanmar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had his first meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who said that China is looking forward to the Indian leader's maiden visit to Beijing.

Modi met Li at the Myanmar International Convention Centre on the sidelines of the back-to-back India-ASEAN and East Asia summits in Myanmar's capital.

Li was among the first leaders to have greeted Modi over phone after the latter was sworn in as Prime Minister in May this year. He had pledged then to build a "robust" relationship with Modi's government.

During the meeting, Modi recalled the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in September, saying it would be remembered as a memorable visit.

Responding to Modi's comment, Li said President Xi's visit was a "high-success". Li also said that China was looking forward to welcoming Modi. "Keen to have you visit China. Look forward to seeing you in Beijing," Li was quoted as saying by Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin. 
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17:50   Pedalling for hope
'It is a fact that we are all wired internally to give and share. What holds us back is the glue of inertia,' says Jasmeet Gandhi as he sets out on a 1,000 kilometre cycling journey to raise money for children afflicted with eye cancer. Read
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17:24   Mamta Kulkarni arrested in Kenya on charges of drug smuggling
Former actress Mamta Kulkarni was arrested along with her husband in Kenya in a joint operation between Drug Enforcement Agency and Mombasa Police, as per reports on Twitter.

Kulkarni, who was a Bollywood siren in the Nineties, has resurfaced in news after after disappearing from the limelight more than a decade ago. Mamta was last seen in Dev Anand's Censor which released in 2001.
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17:21   Denied cabinet berth, RPI threatens to pull out of 'Mahayuti'
Accusing the BJP of not fulfiling its promise of giving a ministerial berth to RPI in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet, its chief Ramdas Athawale today asked the saffron party to get its act right, or risk the breakdown of 'Mahayuti'.

"The BJP seems to have forgot the role of its smaller allies in its massive win. If they have indeed forgotten our importance, let me remind them there are four important municipal elections due in the near future.

"In the coming year, there will be Kalyan-Dombivali and Navi Mumbai municipal elections and there will be the Thane and Brihanmumbai municipal elections in 2017. If the BJP still refuses to acknowledge our importance and give us our due, we may be compelled to ally with others for these elections," Athawale said.
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17:16  
Rohit Sharma becomes the first person ever to get to 250 runs in an ODI! 
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17:07   Parrikar, 9 others elected unopposed to RS
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and nine other political leaders were today elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, state minister Azam Khan's wife Tazeen Fatima, Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, Ravi Prakash Verma, Javed Ali Khan and Chandrapal Singh Yadav were among those elected to the Upper House of Parliament.

BSP's Raja Ram and Veer Singh and Congress party's P L Punia were also elected to Rajya Sabha, Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha and Returning Officer of Rajya Sabha polls Pradeep Dubey said.
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17:02   Rohit Sharma breaks Sehwag's ODI reccord of 219
Rohit Sharma hits world record with a second double century in the Kolkata ODI. Read the live coverage here.
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16:46   SC sets three-month deadline to complete Gulberg society massacre case
Gulberg Society massacre case: The Supreme Court asks trial court judge to complete proceedings in three months and asks for a daily hearing of the case.

The Gulberg Society was a Muslim pocket in Chamanpura, Ahmedabad. On February 28, 2002, a mob started gathering outside the society at 9 am and began shouting slogans. At noon, the mob began attacking residents.

Former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri tried to shelter people against the mob. An eyewitness has testified in court that Jafri repeatedly called the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for help but was denied help. Jafri phoned 200 other people, including cops and bureaucrats, for help. Senior police officers allegedly refused to respond.

In the afternoon, a mob went into Jafri's house and set him on fire in front of his family, following which other people in the colony were then killed.
By the evening, 69 people had died.

On March 15 this year, Zakia Jafri (Ehsan Jafri's wife) moved the High Court against the Magistrate's order upholding the SIT's closure report. Her petition seeks "to make Modi and 59 others accused on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit a mass murder, arson...and also tampering with evidence and destroying records of the Gujarat Home Department".

The petition alleges that the Magistrate accepted SIT's closure report with a "non-application of mind". It also alleges that destruction of key records was carried out to ensure injustice to the victims, in which the Chief Minister's office and the state home department were allegedly involved.
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16:31  
JUST IN: AAP first list of 22 candidates includes four former ministers for the Delhi assembly elections.
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16:30   Nitish slams BJP for seeking NCP help in Maharashtra
Senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar today slamed BJP for questioning his party alliance with RJD whose "jungle raj" he had fought earlier and questioned the saffron party's ethics in winning confidence vote in Maharashtra with the help of NCP.

"Narendra Modi during campaign in Maharashtra for Assembly poll used to describe NCP as 'Brashtacharwadi Congress Party' in place of 'Rashtriyawadi Congress Party'...(Then) with whose support it won trust vote in Maharashtra yesterday?" Kumar wondered at his first meeting of fortnight long "Samparak yatra" in Bettiah.
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16:07   Philae lander makes historic touchdown on comet
Rosetta mission's safe landing gives scientists their first chance to ride a comet and study close up what happens as it gets closer to the sun. Read
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15:48   Sensex slips
Sensex off record-high, slips 68.26 points to close at 27,940.64; Nifty ends 25.45 pts down at 8,357.85.
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15:47   East Asia Summit ends, PM leaves for Australia this evening
MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweets this picture of the PM at the East Asia summit in Myanmar. "East Asia Summit work done. Now time for PM's bilateral interactions followed by meeting with Indian community."

Leaders of 18 countries including US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are assembled at the one-day ninth East Asian Summit in the Myanmarese capital. 
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15:36   Russia, America and the New Cold War
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, George H.W. Bush, then president of the United States of America, issued this heraldic proclamation: "A world once divided into two armed camps now recognizes one, sole and pre-eminent power, the United States of America." History had ended, the American nirvana had begun. Read
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15:32   IOA throws weight behind Sarita Devi after AIBA chief says her career is over
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the sports ministry have finally decided to act in the case involving boxer L Sarita Devi.

Having stayed quiet when the Manipuri felt she was cheated in her semi-final bout against the Korean boxer at the Incheon Asian Games and her subsequent protest, the officials have now threatened legal action if she is banned by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA).

Read more

The development comes in the wake of AIBA chief Ching-kuo Wu claiming earlier in the day that Sarita Devi's boxing career is as good as over for the manner of her protest at the podium in Incheon.
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15:19  
Reality check: How has the Modi govt fared in reviving the economy? Read
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15:13   Rajnath appeals to Naxals to shun violence, join mainstream
Making it clear violence has no place in a democracy and that the killing of innocents leads to nowhere, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asked the Naxals to abjure violence and join the mainstream.

Addressing the 75th raising day of CRPF, Singh said that Mao Zedong's ideology, which is being followed by the CPI (Maoist) in India, is forgotten even in China, the country where he had founded the Communist state.

"But here (in India) you (Naxals) are killing your innocent countrymen by following that ideology. I would like to appeal to the Naxals to shun violence.

"Our democratic values are very strong. I would like to ask them to change the power through democracy and not by guns," he said after taking the salute at an impressive parade by CRPF personnel.
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14:58  
Amid horrific abuses against Burma's Rohingya, Aung San Suu Kyi's moral authority has vanished. Read
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14:51   Petrol, Diesel prices increased by Rs 1.50 a litre
Petrol and diesel prices were today hiked by Rs 1.50 a litre after government raised excise duty on the two fuel to mop up an additional revenue of about Rs 13,000 crore.
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14:26  
PM Narendra Modi meets President of Philippines Benigno Aquino in Myanmar. The PM will conclude his three-day tour of Myanmar today.
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14:24   BJP: Rahul's entire political career full of photo-ops
BJP's quick repartee to Rahul's allegation that the PMO's Clean India initiative is nothing but a photo-op.

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli says Rahul Gandhi's entire political career has been full of photo-ops -- travelling in local train, visitng Dalit's house, tearing up ordinance. Leaving aside the goodwill of the name that he has inherited what has been his achievements?
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14:21   Surgeon behind botched surgeries held, blames administration
The surgeon, who has been arrested for conducting 83 sterilisation surgeries at a village in Bilaspur district that left 12 women dead, today accused the administration of framing him and blamed "poor quality" medicines supplied by the state government for the tragedy.

Laparoscopic surgeon Dr R K Gupta, who was taken into custody from his relatives' place in neighbouring Balodabazar district late last night, accused the administration of framing him and said the health officials, including Chief Medical and Health Officer, Block Medical Officer and Block Health Officer should be held equally responsible for the incident.

"The condition of the women deteriorated after they were given a painkiller and an antibiotic following the surgery. Women also complained of vomiting after consuming those medicines," said Gupta. He had  performed tubectomies on 83 women at state-run camp in Pendari village on Saturday. 
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14:07  
Read Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman's complete statement on the WTO. 
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13:58   Sonia: Without Nehru no Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan
All the Congress leaders assembled at the Talkatora stadium take a pledge on the occasion following which Congress President Sonia Gandhi speaks.

She says Nehru fulfilled his responsibility of formation of new India with enthusiasm and dedication. "Without Nehru-ji, we would not have been able to send Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan.

"We should remain committed to fight those who want to destroy the liberal and progressive edifice of India. Nehruji's ideologies are not just a part of history, they inspire us even today and undoubtedly it will inspire generations to come. Nehru-ji's vision was liberal, democratic rooted for a united India.

"We have to remain committed to our ideals and traditions, and should be proud of the Congress's role of nation building.

"Nehru was the main architech to modern India. He gave direction to India's progress," she said. 
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13:33   Rahul: Cong did committ mistakes, but we were not short on ideologies
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi speaking at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on the eve of Jawaharlal Nehru's 125th birth anniversary. Rahul begins his speech with a anecdote from history of the time when his great-grandfather was interred in Naini Jail. Hes says India is the only country where freedom struggle was based on love. "We got lathis but we did not react in anger. Nehru-ji wrote in the visitors' book of Naini jail, "I thank the British for putting me in jail and keeping me isolated as all that anger I had within me has turned into love for my nation, so I thank them."

Rahul also attacked PM Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan saying, today people have got photo opportunities, they are cleaning streets, less work is done by the Govt. It's not like the Congress has not committed any mistakes, we made mistakes, but we are not short of ideologies."
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13:15   Big breakthrough in Beijing
Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh holds forth on the bilateral accord on climate change signed between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Read more 
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13:12  
Shiv Sena stage a raasta roko at Mulund checknaka against the BJP government. Quite naturally, traffic disrupted in the area.
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12:52   'The Jawaharlal Nehru I knew '
BS Raghavan, who was deputy secretary in the home ministry in Nehru government, remembers him. He writes, "Nehru is often portrayed as a visionary with his head in the clouds. But he had his feet firmly planted on the ground when it came to building and nurturing institutions and setting them on the right path with the right traditions." 

Read the full column on Rediff.com.
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12:46   Nehru: The writer, the historian
As the Congress celebrates the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru (without inviting any NDA leader or the PM), it would do well to remind ourselves that whosoever is in power, Jawaharlal Nehru's memory must be kept alive in the interest of our democratic and secular values. The Hindu opines that students of Indian history will benefit from his writings, which embrace the creative thrust and splendour of the Continental and Indian civilisation. Read
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12:33   BJP has lost the moral right to govern in Maharashtra: Sena
The Shiv Sena editorial in its newspaper, Saamna, sharply attacked the BJP saying: "They have lost the moral right to govern on Day 1."

The Sena said, "The government has failed to prove their majority and must answer. Can those who crush the Constitution to win the vote of confidence win the people's trust?"

It added, "Through the scam of a voice vote they may have proved their majority, but it is not a majority."
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12:19   Sena to meet governor over illegitimate Fadnavis govt
Just in: The Shiv Sena will meet Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao at 4:30 pm today. 

The Congress and the Shiv Sena - which are the main opposition party in Maharashtra will send a representation to the governor protesting against the Speaker, Haribhau Bagde's decision not to hold a division vote, in which legislators press buttons on a voting machine to record their votes, which are then counted. Both the parties have demanded a fresh trust vote and have called the government illegitimate.
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12:16   SC pulls up Centre over inaction on shelters for homeless
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to provide temporary shelters for the homeless. The Sc has also asked the Centre to call a meet of chief secretaries of all states over the issue.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday promised more night shelters in the national capital saying nobody should be forced to sleep in the open at night.

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12:05  
The Supreme Court asks the Centre and states to find out ways and means to provide temporary shelters for the homeless.
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12:04   Omar: Sentencing of armymen watershed moment in India
Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah reacts to the life term awarded to seven armymen in the Machil fake encounter case. Omar says that the sentencing is a watershed moment. "This is indeed a very welcome step. No one in Kashmir ever believed that justice would be done in such cases. Faith in institutions disappeared."
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11:37   WTO impasse ends, but no details yet
Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman has denied that India had been isolated at the WTO.

"Many countries saw merit in what we were asking for. India was never isolated or alone. Others weren't speaking up," she said.

Countries including South Africa, Cuba, Venezuela and other emerging economies had supported India's stand.Sitharaman also said that India would continue to back the implementation of the global trade agreement.
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11:22   What the WTO agreement means
India had made it clear that it would not ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement, a pact that seeks to ease custom norms, until a permanent solution was found on the food subsidy issue.

India had asked WTO to amend the norms for calculating agri subsidies so that the country could continue to procure foodgrain from farmers at minimum support price and sell them to poor at cheaper rates without violating the WTO norms.

The current WTO norms limit the value of food subsidies at 10 per cent of the total value of foodgrain production.

However, the quantum of subsidy is computed after taking into consideration prices that prevailed two decades ago.

There are apprehensions that once India would fully implement its food security programme it may breach the cap.

WTO members can drag India if it will cross the limit.

The food subsidy provided by India for paddy during 2010-11 worked out to be only around 6 per cent of the total output of the commodity in value terms. In case of wheat, the subsidy is negative by 1 per cent.

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11:20   India agrees with U.S. on food stockpiling, clears way for WTO deal
India has reached an agreement with the United States on public stockpiling of food, commerce minister Niramala Sitharaman said today, paving the way for the implementation of a global trade facilitation deal that has been stalled for months.

"India and the United States have resolved their differences on public stockholding of food," Sithamaran said. "This opens the way for implementation of the WTO trade facilitation deal."
At the end of July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pulled the plug on implementing a Trade Facilitation Agreement struck in Bali last year.
 
India had wanted indefinitely to extend a 'peace clause' to protect a subsidised food distribution scheme until the WTO can strike a definitive deal on stockpiling. In Bali, the WTO agreed that the clause would expire in four years.
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10:59   Machil fake encounter: Seven armymen sentenced to life
Army sets example by sentencing 7, including the Commanding Officer and another officer for the 2010 Machil encounter case.

On April 30, 2010, the army had claimed that they had killed three infiltrators in the Machil sector along the Line of Control. It had later claimed that they were Pakistani terrorists.

However, they were later identified as Mohamad Shafi, Shehzad Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmed, all residents of Nadihal in Baramulla district. They were allegedly lured to a border area and shot dead.

Following complaints from relatives of the victims, a territorial army jawan and two others were arrested by police but the incident led to unrest in the entire Kashmir Valley and widespread demonstrations in which 123 people were killed.


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10:03   Sensex gains 89 pts in early trade on positive economic data
Continuing its winning streak for the fourth straight session, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose over 89 points in early trade today on the back of positive economic data amidst sustained foreign capital inflows. 

The 30-share barometer moved up by 89.84 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 28,098.74 with consumer durables, capital goods, power, auto, healthcare and banking sector stocks leading the rise.

Similarly, the National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 24.70 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 8,408. 

Brokers said buying activity gathered momentum on positive economic data as the country's industrial production grew at 2.5 per cent in September. 

Besides, retail inflation easing to 5.52 per cent in October from 6.46 per cent in September raised rate cut hopes. 

Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down by 0.03 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei moved up by 0.26 per cent in early trade. 

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.02 per cent lower in yesterday's trade. 
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09:43   Madrasas NOT spreading jihad in India: MHA report
Zee News reports: At a time when the activities of madrasas are under increasing scrutiny, the Ministry of Home Affairs has found that majority of such institutions don't subscribe to jihadi ideology or play a part in its spread.

An internal report of the MHA says majority of madrasas not spreading jihadi or indulge in anti-national activity. However, the report has red-flagged some madrasas operating in the border areas of West Bengal and Assam.

These madrasas are the one where the teachers are foreigners, mainly from Bangladesh, and they have been found to be involved in anti-India activities.

Even in those areas, Indian madrasa teachers are not involved in jihadi activities.

The report is based on probe into madrasas aligned to Deobandi, al-Hadis, Jamat and Barelvi school of thought.

The activities of madrasas, especially those in West Bengal, came into focus after the Burdwan bomb blast. The NIA probe into the case had unearthed a deep rooted trans-border terror machinery that was at work through some of the madrasas in the state.
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09:42   PM Modi meets Russian President, world leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his third day of Myanmar visit with an early morning meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

Recalling his visit to Russia in 2001, PM Modi says he is sure India-Russia ties will be strengthened.

Medvedev said: 'India is a close and valued partner for us. There are many areas where we are cooperating.'

MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin later tweeted photos of the prime minister interacting with world leaders like New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Philippines President Benigno Aquino III
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08:34   Nitish Kumar's 'Sampark Yatra' begins today
Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will kickstart 'Sampark Yatra' from Bettiah in West Champaran on Thursday.

This will be Nitish's first tour after demitting chief minister's office.

The tour is being launched in a bid to prepare the party for the assembly polls due to be held in the state next year.

According to party leaders, the 'Sampark Yatra' will help them to connect with the people at the grassroot level and prepare workers to meet the challenges.

Nitish will hold as many as 32 public meetings during the tour which will continue till the end of the month and cover all districts of the state.

The senior JD(U) leader had embarked on three 'yatras' across Bihar during his tenure as the state chief minister -- Vikas Yatra in 2009, Seva Yatra in 2011 and Adhikar Yatra in 2013.
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08:33   Modi to attend East Asia Summit in Myanmar today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the East Asia Summit in Myanmar on Thursday, a day after he met Southeast Asian leaders during the 12th ASEAN-India summit.

He is also likely to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and meet several other leaders.

Modi is currently on a 10-day visit to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji.

The United States President Barack Obama met Modi yesterday during the Gala dinner at the 12th ASEAN-India summit and called him a man of action.

This was the second meeting between the leaders of the two countries in six weeks. Modi had met Obama during his visit to the US in September.
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08:33   Sonia to kickstart Delhi election campaign today
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday will kick off the campaign for the Delhi assembly elections on Thursday on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. 

The function will be held at Talkatora Stadium.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will also address the party workers. 

Breaking away from tradition, the party has started preparations for the polls a bit early this time even as election schedule has not been announced yet.

Delhi Congress spokesperson Mukesh Sharma on Wednesday said the presence of party chief and vice-president will certainly boost the morale of workers. 

"Our senior party leaders will encourage and motivate our party workers. We will give tough fight to the BJP in the elections by putting up a brave front," he said.
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03:55  
Russian troops crossing into Ukraine, NATO says: Tanks and other military vehicles towing heavy weapons pouring over the border from Russia into eastern Ukraine. 

Nightly artillery battles in the region's biggest city, Donetsk, and reports of fighting around another regional capital.And now, sightings of the "green men,' professional soldiers in green uniforms without insignia, the same type of forces that carried out the invasion of Crimea in the spring.
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03:53   US lawmakers take hard line on prospective Iran deal
The US senators behind a tough sanctions bill against Iran said on Wednesday they would push for more penalties against Tehran if they are unhappy with any nuclear deal, signaling a potential battle with the Obama administration less than two weeks before the deadline for an agreement.

New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez and Illinois Republican Mark Kirk said a "good deal" would require strict limits on nuclear-related research, development and procurement and a robust inspection regime for decades in Iran.
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03:46   For 26th time, UN has emergency meeting on Ukraine
The UN Security Council is holding its 26th emergency session on Ukraine amid worries about a renewal of full-scale conflict in the rebel-held east. Yesterday's meeting comes hours after NATO's top commander said new columns of Russian troops and tanks have rolled into eastern Ukraine, which Moscow promptly denied.
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03:00   Israel says won't cooperate with UN Gaza inquiry
Israel will not cooperate with a United Nations inquiry into its 50-day war with rocket-firing militants in Gaza this summer, a government spokesman said today. 

"Since the Schabas commission is not an inquiry but a commission that gives its conclusions in advance, Israel will not cooperate with the UN Commission on Human Rights over the last conflict with Hamas," foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a statement.
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03:00   NATO sees Russian military buildup in E Ukraine
NATO on Wednesday said it has observed fresh columns of Russian tanks, artillery and combat troops entering eastern Ukraine in the past few days prompting Ukraine to redeploy government forces in anticipation of a fresh offensive by pro-Russian separatists.

Those actions, along with an upsurge in violations of a September 5 cease-fire between the rebels and Ukrainian government troops, have fanned worries that full-scale fighting may resume.  
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01:45   Human remains found at MH17 site but no wreckage recovery
Dutch forensic experts recovered further human remains at the crash site of downed flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine today, but said they could not yet start salvaging the wreckage. 

 "A small team has recovered body parts at the site after pieces of the wreckage were lifted with a crane," the Dutch defence ministry said in a statement.
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01:44  
US: Pilot thrown free as spaceship broke apart : The surviving pilot of the Virgin Galactic spaceship that tore apart over the Mojave Desert did not know his co-pilot had prematurely unlocked the braking system and within seconds was thrown clear of the disintegrating craft, federal investigators said today. 

In its update on the still-evolving investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board did not explain what caused SpaceShipTwo to crash Oct. 31 in California. That conclusion won't come for perhaps a year.
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01:43   Iran says it has responded to Obama's letters
A top security official in Iran said today the Islamic Republic has written back in response to letters sent by US President Barack Obama, the first acknowledgement of such correspondence. 

However, it's not clear whether Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote the letters himself. The letter writing is part of a recent thaw in relations between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah and the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held hostage for more than a year.
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01:40   'Sudan military sought to intimidate during mass rape probe'
The Sudanese military sought to intimidate villagers in Darfur to keep quiet allegations of mass rape of more than 200 women and girls by Khartoum's soldiers, according to a UN internal report. 

The report by the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur suggests that a visit by a team of monitors to the village of Tabit was carefully prepared by the Sudanese military to prevent witnesses from coming forward.
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01:40   Rockets kill seven Syrian schoolchildren: state media
Two rockets fired at a school in the central Syrian province of Hama killed seven children on today, state media reported, blaming "terrorists" for the attack. 

"Terrorist organisations have fired two rockets at a primary school in the town of Karnaz, killing seven children, wounding others and causing major damage to the school," said SANA news agency, quoting a police source.
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00:21   Syria detains prominent Damascus-based dissident
Syrian authorities detained a prominent Damascus-based writer and dissident today as he was trying to leave the country, his political party said. 

 Louay Hussein was taken into custody at the Syria-Lebanon border as he was heading to Spain to visit his family, according to the Building the Syrian State party. 

It also said that he faces a number of "ready and tailor-made charges," including "weakening national sentiment and weakening the morale of the nation."
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00:20   Israeli settlers torch West Bank mosque: Palestinians
Israeli settlers torched a mosque near the West Bank town of Ramallah overnight, Palestinian security officials said on today, as violence intensified in the occupied territory. 

"The settlers set fire to the whole of the first floor of the mosque" in the village of Al-Mughayir, near the Shilo settlement, a security official said.
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00:20   'IS group visits Pakistan militants'
A spokesman for a small Pakistani militant group claims that a delegation from the Islamic State group has visited Jundallah's leaders in southwestern Pakistan. 

Jundullah spokesman Fahad Marwat said on Wednesday that the visit took place this week in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province.
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00:19   Israel approves 200 new homes in east Jerusalem
Israeli authorities gave preliminary approval today for construction of 200 new homes in a Jewish area of east Jerusalem, a move likely to ratchet up already heightened tensions in the city. 

The decision came shortly before US Secretary of State John Kerry was to arrive in neighboring Jordan on a mission aimed at restoring calm in the Holy Land after weeks of unrest.
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00:18  
Ebola death toll passes 5,000-mark: WHO:  The World Health Organization said today that 5,160 people have so far died of Ebola acorss eight countries, from a total 14,098 cases of infection. 

The numbers supersede figures the UN health agency gave last Friday, when it reported 4,960 deaths and 13,268 cases. WHO has acknowledged though that the number of deaths is likely far higher, given that the fatality rate in the current outbreak is known to be around 70 percent.

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